More Than Politics
by A.Steele
Summary: Kagome's time in the feudal era is taking a strange toll. After a run in with Sesshoumaru, who will have to pay the price? Politics wait for no one, but the heart has a strange way of making itself heard. UNDER REVISION, STAY AWAY
1. Captured and Saved?

**3/30/09 Hi guys- looking back on this fic, I decided to do some editing on it because I really want it to be the best it can be. I might also do some plot editing as well, so if you've already read some of this, you might want to scan back through. Sorry for any inconvenience!**

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**Hello everyone!!! Here is my the first chapter of my second fanfic. I know it moves kinda quickly in the beginning, but i promise to slow it down later on. Also, just so we're clear, this is a Sesshoumaru x Kagome fic. Rin isn't even in this chapter. Pretend she's at the castle. No flames please, but i appreciate constructive criticism**

_blah blah blah : notes from the editor _**(my editor is one of my most amazing friends Ashley. I'm trying to get her to join since she has some great fanfics.)**

**DISCLAIMER: Roses are red, violets are blue. I don't own Inuyasha, but neither do you. **

**Captured and... Saved?**

**Kagome's P.O.V.**

I wandered aimlessly through the forest, not bothering to pay attention to my surroundings as I thundered through the underbrush, muttering angrily to myself. I had let Inuyasha get under my skin _again_. It had been a stupid argument- he'd come stopping up the hill demanding ramen, swearing like a sailor when I told him to wait. I was in a deep conversation with Sango, both of us discussing the events of the past few months.

We'd been somewhere in the far south of Japan when my eighteenth birthday had come rolling around. I wouldn't even have noticed had it not been for Shippo, who'd found my mother's early birthday gift to me while looking for pocky in my yellow bag. The reminder had surprised me- had it already been three years? - and Sango had suggested that we stop 'gallivanting all around the damn country' for a few hours and celebrate. After some 'convincing' (who knew Miroku could hit so hard?) Inuyasha agreed, and we camped out on the outskirts of a village.

In the end, I think we had all enjoyed the break a little too much. Since we'd been traveling almost nonstop for the past two weeks, the small round of sake we had all shared pretty much conked us all out. Shippo, Sango, and Miroku had fallen asleep early (the latter two slightly red in the face), and even Inuyasha was slow to respond when our encampment was disturbed two large bear youkai, the two of them crashing through the trees like trucks.

Inuyasha had leapt to his feet and unsheathed Tetsusaiga, immediately attacking. Miroku and Sango were both awake as well, Miroku shaking off the alcohol easily due to his constant exposure to it. Sango, however, was struggling more that the monk. She apparently hadn't spent very much time around alcohol, and she was stumbling more than walking towards her weapon. I grabbed her arm and told her to stay with the still unconscious Shippo instead, grabbing my bow as I did so.

That later proved to be rather unwise. Though I was still better off than Sango would have been, I wasn't much better. My arrows strayed slightly, hitting arms and legs rather than vital organs, and I wasn't able to concentrate long enough to bring forth powerful purifying powers, only weak amounts that fizzled out almost as soon as they struck a target. Twice Inuyasha had to dodge them, swearing angrily before returning to battle. However, with two of us unable to provide any help, Inuyasha wasn't doing very well either.

Finally, one of the bear youkai managed to force past him and ran towards the weakest of our group- a dazed Sango and unconscious Shippo. I felt fear zing through me with a burning aftertaste. My sake-induced haze was suddenly burned away, and I found an arrow with a speed I didn't know I had, shooting a burning comet of miko energy towards the bear, so bright it appeared white instead of pink. It was vaporized immediately, and upon seeing the defeat of its comrade, the other youkai disappeared back into the surrounding forest. Miroku quickly ran towards Sango, giving her a quick check-up, but Inuyasha remained in place, staring at me with surprise evident on his face. Miroku later told me why.

He explained that I had moved with a speed that wasn't mine, wasn't that of a human, and that the arrow I had shot had indeed been white, not the usual miko pink. He wasn't sure why. After a while, we both decided that it had probably been adrenaline; panic at seeing Shippo and Sango's life being threatened.

But it wasn't the last time it happened, and whatever it was had slowly stopped fading away. Even now, my miko powers were the palest of pink, a shadow of the vibrant florescence it had once been, but in contrast they seemed to be stronger. I was beginning to find it much easier to keep up with Inuyasha during our trips, and only a few days ago I had drunk Miroku into unconsciousness during a silly competition he had suggested, and the alcohol had left me completely unfazed while Miroku slept it off.

While Miroku sulked over losing his place for most alchohol-tolerence and Sango teased me, suggesting that practiced when they weren't around, Inuyasha seemed to become nervous around me. He refused to speak to me unless he had to, and when he did it was in short, terse sentences. He had also stopped sleeping near our camps at night, instead opting to perch in trees, something he hadn't done since our first days together. Sango told me not to worry, that he was just sulking that a human could find it so easy to keep up, but it didn't change.

Last night we had returned to Kaede's village and Inuyasha had disappeared into the woods to 'train' and Miroku had been out looking for Shippo, who was actually following behind him, and hiding at the last second. Sango and I had remained behind- Sango had been trying to repair a rip in her slayer uniform and I was taking an inventory of what I needed to go back through the well for when there had been a large ruckus outside. Peeking out the door, Sango and I saw that some sort of army regiment was making camp at the village for the night. Almost immediately, Sango and I could hear the men celebrating as they unloaded their alcohol supplies.

Sighing to ourselves, Sango and I had been preparing for bed when one of the soldiers, who'd already indulged in a copious amount of alcohol had marched through the door, and, upon catching sight of us, grinned. Sango had immediately order him out, reaching for her katana as she did so. The soldier, even while drunk, was still very quick, and he knocked her sword away with him own. I scrambled to grab my arrows, but by the time I reached them Sango had already used her superior hand-to-hand combat skills to knock him unconscious, knocking a table over in the process.

However, the soldier's swearing and the sound of furniture sent flying had attracted two others, and they came running in as well, swords already drawn. I shot one with an arrow, but the second landed a sound blow to Sango's head, and she dropped to the floor, groaning. The remaining soldier was to close for me to use my arrows effectively, and my purifying powers wouldn't work on a human. Unsure of what to do, I grabbed Sango's fallen katana and swung it at him, unfamiliar with its weight. The soldier easily knocked it away and lifted the sword above his head.

He had probably been about to knock me out, but I had been under the impression he was going to stab me, so I had foolishly grabbed to blade to stop it, and the tip went right through my hand. I screamed and pulled away, the soldier himself seemed surprised at my stupidity. He came closer, unsure of what to do, and I reached forward with my unwounded hand and scraped my nails along his face. It did more damage than I'd thought it would, and he yelled stumbling against me.

Feeling more and more cornered, and losing a lot of blood, I felt unconsciousness pull me down.

_It was dark. There was an emptiness that surrounded her, suffocated her. Screaming, she clawed desperately at it, trying to pushing it away from her. A white light flared where she scratched, emerging through the black. Kagome began ripping away more of the surrounding darkness until the light finally pushed all the way through. Suddenly Kagome could breathe properly. The light thrummed with a familiar power, and it gave her a comforting security._

'_You need to wake up Kagome,' murmured a lyrical voice. Kagome didn't hear the voice as much as feel it, the vibrations moving through her, lending her strength. 'Use the strength you have been gifted with.' The light was drawing away. Worried, Kagome moved towards it again, seeking the warmth. But she felt another kind of warmth behind her. It was like standing with her back against a fire, and she turned to see a flash of red fighting through the black. She backed away, but the white light pushed her towards it. Kagome fought it, trying to burry herself in the white. But it was rejecting her._

'_Not with me, love. I cannot help you against a human foe. You need her,' the voice whispered again, and Kagome took a step towards the red._

'_Come, Kagome.' The red pulsed when the second voice spoke. This voice was rougher, spoke quicker. 'I will help.' The white faded completely and red enveloped her._

I was suddenly shoved back into consciousness; the soldier was running back through the door, leaving the other two behind. There was a stinging in my right hand, and I lifted it slightly to see a long, shallow cut where a hole had once been. My finger nails were also longer, almost pointed. I jumped to my feet, feeling a surge of energy.

I felt like I had the first time I'd even gone drinking. My vision was blurred, but not in the expected way. It felt like my vision was trying to focus on everything at once, trying to register the intricate wood grain of the walls and at the same time asses the varying colors the moonlight painted it. I could smell the blood from Sango's head wound and the acrid scent of burning wood mixed with the sweat of the soldiers.

It was too much to take in and it was painful. Just trying to comprehend it all was quickly sapping my strength and I soon joined Sango on the floor.

I had woken up to Sango's worried face as she apologized that she hadn't been able to keep them away and asking if I was injured. I looked down at my hand, and saw that there were no traces of any injury, and that my nails were once again shortened. Though I decided to keep that experience to myself, Sango and I had waited together for Inuyasha to return with Miroku. Inuyasha had sworn angrily and literally thrown the unconscious men from the hut, and Miroku and I had bandaged Sango's head.

That had been a few days ago. I had been in the middle of confiding to Sango the full events and my sudden healing when Inuyasha had come a'bitching. Sitting him so hard had been unnecessary, but _I_ didn't regret it. I hitched my quiver back up onto my shoulder, and clutched my bow. I made sure to always keep it near me now. Just then I heard I rustling. I quickly nocked an arrow and aimed at a nearby bush, that was shaking suspiciously.

"Who's there? Show yourself!" I called out, feeling nervous. And a bit ticked off. Was it too much to ask for a peaceful walk? Apparently, since just then a demon stepped out of the bushes. Not a very powerful one, though. I sighed.

"What do you want? I'm kinda busy right now, so go away and I won't purify your ass." The demon chuckled quietly. He was tall, about Sesshoumaru's height, but his hair was midnight blue, a little past his shoulders, and rather tangled. His fangs were long and a little vampire-ish, since they reached his chin, like some sort of saber-tooth tiger. His armor was a dark silver, and his haori matched his hair in varying shades of blue.

**Normal P.O.V.**

"Just doing my job, sweetheart, no harsh feelings," and with that he ran at her. Kagome fired a sacred arrow, but he dodged it and kept going. Swearing, she nocked another arrow. This time she hit the mark. But instead of disintegrating, the demon just steamed and slumped over, almost like some sort of... demon puppet. Just as she realized that, there was a loud and sickening thunk. Kagome remained conscious enough to feel a sharp pain in the back of her head before she gave in to unconsciousness and sank to the ground.

She could only remember flashes of the next day or two. Voices murmuring, arguing, dealing.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN THE PRICE HAS GONE UP?" someone shouted, sounding far away through the blackness. There was more whispering, as if trying to reassure the voice.

"DON'T TELL ME TO CALM DOWN! THAT PRICE IS RIDICULOUS! WE HAD A DEAL!" More whispers, now sounding rather desperate.

"Fine. I'll take her, but I want that demon horse with her." That was all Kagome heard before the darkness pulled her back down.

**Kagome's P.O.V.**

I woke up with one hell of a headache. Not to mention bruises where I been laying on the hard surface of... Looking around, I noticed three things:

1. There was a thick chain around my ankle, attached to the wall, obviously to prevent me from jumping out the back of the...

2. wagon. I was in some sort of cart/cage, judging by the bouncing of the box and the sound of horses coming from outside of it.

3. I wasn't alone. But instead of some other villager or woman, there was a great, big, black horse.

With red eyes.

Staring at me.

I let out a small shriek of surprise, but the horse didn't move. It just stared at me. I noticed that it's eyes looked dead. It had been here too long. So I sat there and stared right back at it, not being able to move very far due to my ever-so-convenient chain. Honestly, what was I supposed to do if it had decided to eat me? Just sit there and let it? Kami, someone had some serious propriety issues. Prevent escape vs. letting someone get eaten alive.

After about 15 minutes of this the horse finally stopped his staring contest. Instead he just shifted slightly until he was close enough for me to touch. I hesitantly reached out and stroked his nose. His eyes slowly closed and we just sat there together. It sort of felt like the connection I'd always sensed between Sango and Kirara. An understanding, a pact to protect and help each other. It was a nice feeling. Under most circumstances, I'd have felt kind of stupid thinking about connections and friendships between me and a demon horse, but in a dark box that was bouncing uncomfortably, I really began to appreciate the company.

About a day or so later, we were finally allowed out of the cart. About time too, I was beginning to shrivel up from lack of sunshine. There was a loud grunting, and one of the walls was pulled off like some sort of crate. Rough hands reached in, unlocked the chain around my ankle, and pulled me out by the arms. I looked around, blinking against the sudden brightness. There were a couple other carts just like mine, all lined up in a sort of caravan group. All of them were guarded by burly humans or rather weak demons. Around me, other people were being pulled out of their crates. All of them were young women. Near the front of the line was the demon who'd come out of the bushes. Only this time, it wasn't a puppet. I inwardly cursed at being so naive back in the forest.

Once I was sure that I wasn't about to be knocked over the head again, I glance around the environment, looking for a possible escape. We were traveling through a deep ravine, and I looked up to see the cliffs towering over us. There were no footholds or plants to help pull my way up, and it was too steep anyways. Looking back, I saw the men poking at the demon horse with the butts of their spears, trying to keep him in line, as he was tossing his head and looking agitated. I ran back over.

"Don't hurt him!" I yelled, pushing by them to get to the horse. When he saw me, he relaxed a little, so I started to climb into the cart to sit by him. But one of the men grabbed my arm.

"Uh-uh, bitch. You're the next stop. We're not pulling open those damn crates again, so you can walk," he said, moving past me to start boarding the cart back up.  
"You can't lock him back in there again," I protested, refusing to let this crude demon push me around. The demon looked back at the horse for a moment before turning to the front again.

"HEY SHENTOSHA! WHAT ABOUT THIS HORSE?" he shouted, his voice echoing against the cliffs and looking over toward the front of the line. The demon who'd caught me looked around. Seeing me, he smiled.

"Gettem' out of the cart and put her up on 'im," he called back, gesturing at me. His expectant smile was creeping me out.

The man gawked at him.

"Put 'er on him? The last person who tried ended up with a broken neck! There's no way she's gonna be able to stay on! She's just a girl!" Could you be anymore sexist? I was willing to bet that last person had been a man. Ugh, males in general. Why were they so full of themselves? Just like Inuyasha... Where was he anyway? I'd never been in the hands of an enemy this long before. Usually it was just overnight or something if he was having some real trouble. But days? Surely they'd have noticed my absence by now. He should have been able to follow my scent…

I pushed it to the back of my mind as the man walked over to the demon horse and led him out. Then he walked over to the back of the cart and pulled of a saddle and reins. As another man saddled the horse, the first came and lifted me up by the waist before settling me on top of the horse. He was a lot taller than I expected. It was a rather long way to the ground. The men began forming and semi-circle around me, just watching. Both the men and I were waiting for the demon horse to try and buck me off. The demon called Shentosha watched from a distance, but now he was frowning.

The men were finally figuring out that I wasn't going to be thrown off, so they started loading the other women back up again, who'd been standing there staring around looking nervous. I had no idea where I was being led, but I knew it was some sort of slave-selling business. Just then, the wagons began moving, and I followed on Hiroki, who was followed by a couple of guards. The trip continued for another few hours. Hiroki allowed me to ride him, and I spent most of the journey listening to the demon slave-trader brag about how he'd caught the horse.

The man bragged of how his father was a great horse demon, ruler of their herd of air-runners, a rare breed of demon horse that could walk and run on air. Laughing, the demon told his comrades of how he'd 'bravely captured the horse while it had been hunting.' Apparently, the herd was still carnivorous. The slave trader had jumped out of the trees, landing on top of the horse, which'd bucked him off and run, and soon left him behind. The man said he hadn't bothered to follow, since he'd had the foresight to stick a sedative dart into the horse's left foreleg.

It was getting to the point that I was about to tell the loudmouth demon to shut the hell up when the group suddenly stopped. I looked around to see we were at the gates of a large village surrounded by a tall wall. Shentosha went and spoke to a guard at the gate and discreetly slipped him some gold. The gates opened and we were allowed in.

**Normal P.O.V.**

Kagome looked at the large shack that was owned by her new master. It looked rather seedy, and was located on the outskirts of the village. Swinging her leg to get off of Hiroki, she landed nimbly on her feet and looked around nervously. A loud snorting caused her to turn. Hiroki was being led away to the small stables a small distance from the house.

'Good,' Kagome thought. 'That will just make it easier to escape this place.' Shentosha appeared behind her and grabbed her by the arm. Dragging her to the door of the house, he pounded on it. The door slid open to reveal a thin, greasy man who leered at her with something like lust. Inwardly wincing, she resisted as Shentosha tried to pull her in and got a slap in the face for her trouble.

"Get moving bitch, I don't have time for this," he snarled. They were led into a small sitting room where the only furniture was a few cushions to kneel on. The man sat on one, and Shentosha dropped her on another before sitting down himself. "All right old man. Here's your merchandise."

"The horse?" the old man whispered. His voice was quiet and hoarse, and he made her hair stand on end.

"He's in your stable," Shentosha said harshly. "Money?" The man pushed over a small sack of coins. Shentosha counted them then nodded and stood. "Thank you for your business," he said, giving me that infuriating grin before disappearing back out the doors.

"Alright wench, let's go. Come with me and I'll explain your... duties." Reluctant to follow him anywhere, she went stiffly, unwilling to show her fear. The man led her to a small room with a sleeping mat and a chest. He opened the chest and pulled out a kimono that looked rather skimpy. It showed a bit too much skin for her tastes.

"This is what you'll be wearing for your appointments." His eyes scraped her body, and suddenly something sunk in.

"You mean I'm to be a _whore_?" she shouted. Anger came boiling to the surface, at this man who was under the impression that some coins bought her obedience, at Shentosha for dragging her away from her friends, even at Inuyasha for leaving her there so long. The man swiftly backhanded her across the face.

"Be silent girl. You'll do what your told." She felt a prodding in her mind. It felt familiar…

'_Don't resist Kagome. Let us help_,' soothed a lyrical voice. Kagome recognized them, and allowed the red to permeate her mind. She could hear that man through the fog.

"Do NOT ignore me wench!"

But she felt something else awake. A sudden, familiar rush of energy filled her and her back arched as her body was bathed in a soft red light, followed by a blinding white flash. The man pulled away from her, burnt by the energy that crackled along her skin. The man was blown off her and looked up to see some sort of demon looking back at him.

He gave a strangled cry, and scrambled away. She looked at him with a sort of predatory hunger, like a panther studying it's pray. Her head cocked slightly and her whirl-pool-like brown eyes narrowed. Then suddenly she was inches away from him, moving so fast he hadn't even seen her.

Suddenly the man felt a searing pain in his stomach. He looked down the see the girl's hand melting through the flesh. He screamed as the pain tore through him, but was silenced by a quick flash of the demon's claws. She looked at the blood on her hand and licked it off. She stood and looked down at the puddle of acid and flesh that had once been a man. Then she tensed, turning to look at the demon that stood by the window, watching her through narrowed golden eyes.

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Sesshoumaru sniffed the air with distaste from his hill outside the village. He hated them, hated the stench of humans. But he could smell something unusual coming from it. It smelled like burning flesh, and he could also sense a strong demonic aura. It was coming from a run-down hut outside of the village. He narrowed his eyes slightly and ran swiftly and silently to the building, swiftly navigating through the maze of hallways to the room of origin in seconds. He watched the proceedings inside with interest. A demon stood over a sizzling lump of flesh that seemed to have once been a man. Then the demon turned to look at him, obviously deciding whether or not it was going to try to kill him.

He stared back at it, knowing he could kill it in an instant if he wanted. But he had to admit, he was curious about why a demonic aura had suddenly formed. Surely he would have sensed it before hand. Then the creature moved. He had to give it credit for its swiftness. However, he effortlessly avoided it only to find it continuing to watching him with apparent interest. What the hell was this thing? It had long black hair cascading down its back, and crimson stripes lined with red over its face. The eyes were a deep brown, and had the unsettling effect that they were trying to suck him in, while its nails were razor-sharp.

'Like mine,' Sesshoumaru thought, slightly bemused. It would seem to be some sort of... cat demon? The hairs on the back of his neck stood up; his hackles rising. No, not a cat demon... but what?

"Leave me alone," she hissed, but already Sesshoumaru could feel the strength draining out of her, along with the demon blood? So, she was a half demon. But it would seem that she was also losing her fangs and claws, and the stripes were fading, until a human girl of about seventeen stood before him, until she collapsed to the ground, that is. Sesshoumaru stood over her, and his eyes narrowed when he recognized her. This was Inuyasha's wench- what was she doing here? In a whore-house, none the less. Typical of that half-breed, couldn't even keep part of his own pack safe.

She was truly a unique being. No half-demon he knew of could switch between races like that. Half-demons always had some demon blood in them, but right now, this girl had absolutely none. He couldn't let this thing wander around his territory- he didn't know it's threat. And it was ridiculous to send someone out to capture it when he could simply bring it with him for observation. He picked the human up, lip curling in distaste, and slung it over his shoulder. A few miles or so from the village, he paused, putting the girl down. Then his ears picked up the sound of Jaken, still a good 20 miles or so away, but sounding like he was right next to Sesshoumaru, due to his sensitive hearing.

"OH LORD SEESSSSSSSHHHHOOOOOOUUUUUUUUUUMMMMMAAARRRRRRRUUUUUUUUUUUU!!!!!!!!" Sesshoumaru winced inwardly. Did he have to be so damn loud? He picked the girl back up and walked toward Jaken, silently vowing to beat him into a bloody pulp for giving him such a headache. Jaken didn't see him until he was practically on top of him, giving him a good boot-to-the-head. Only once Jaken was silenced and had gone to look for firewood did Sesshoumaru put the girl down. She was regaining consciousness, and began to shift slightly. Her eyes opened, and she focused on Sesshoumaru.

"Woman," he acknowledged in a monotone voice.

"Lord Sesshoumaru," she countered, her voice a mixture of curiosity, uncertainty, and a tinge of... gratitude? Strange that none of her emotions were fear.

"If you don't want me to take you right back to that village, you will lose some of that arrogance, woman," he snarled quietly. He saw her back stiffen and her mouth twisted in anger. Sesshoumaru waited quietly for her to do something inexplicably stupid. He wasn't disappointed.

"You're one to talk, mighty Lord. If you're not careful you might inflate your head to the point of explosion." She was pinned to the tree before she could draw breath. Sesshoumaru felt her miko powers begin to well up in her hand, and he flexed his hand around her throat in warning. "Do not even try, miko wench. Your head will be separated from your shoulders before you could lift your hand."

He dropped her, no longer willing to be in contact with her human skin, and returned to his seat.

**Kagome's P.O.V.**

Rubbing my neck, I glared at Sesshoumaru as he glided back to his place by a large tree. Despite his incredibly good looks (I didn't' bother to waste the energy of denying it) he was an incredible ass. We sat in silence for a while, then he looked into the woods, as if sensing something I could not. I looked where he was looking, tensing slightly, a few minutes later however, I heard a huffing sound coming from the woods beyond and then Jaken, one of the ugliest demons I had ever seen throughout my whole experience in the Feudal Era, appeared, struggling with an armload of wood. He was toad-looking, a color of puke green with some sort of beakish mouth, and was wearing brown robes and a small black hat. He saw me, dropped the firewood, and squawked, "What are you doing, wench, disgracing my Lord's presence?" This kinda pissed me off. I hadn't _asked_ anyone to carry me out into the middle of nowhere. Who was he to talk down to me, as if I'd come here of my own free will?

"Oh, shut up you shriveled toad," I snapped at him, taking out my annoyance at Sesshoumaru on his most loyal follower. The toad squawked again.

"Don't be so impudent girl, or those words will be your last," he huffed. I couldn't help but snort. I was being threatened by a walking piece of fungus mushroom. He even smelled like one. But his eyes bulged when he heard it, and he picked up a staff that had been lying next to the silver-haired demon, who'd been silent this whole time, appearing uninterested.

"_Staff of Two Heads_," he shouted, and a jet of fire shot at me. I instinctively put my hands out in front of me and was surprised when the demonic fire was dispersed by a shot of my whitish-pink miko powers.

Scowling at me, Jaken started spouting orders, and it took me a moment before I realized he was talking to me. The gall of that toad! He had the nerve to try and burn me to a crisp, then start directing me to build a fire. I scowled at him, then easily picked up the armload of wood he'd struggled with. In a few moments I had a fire going, pleased by the disgruntled look on his face. He obviously had trouble with this sort of thing, even _with_ a fire staff. Kami. I sat down and looked at Sesshoumaru. He had his eyes closed, but wasn't sleeping.

"Why did you help me?" I finally asked, wanting to break the silence. Sesshoumaru turned to look at me.

"I did not help you, woman. I cannot have something like you wandering around my lands." Some_thing_ like me? What a _jackass_.

"Well you didn't seem to care when my friends and I were ripping up half the countryside fighting Naraku. And it's not like I enjoy being here," I snapped. "What changed?" He was still watching me. Then he raised a delicate eyebrow.

"What changed is that you are no longer the weak human you once were." Woah, was that a compliment? "You are now a weak unknown." Or not. "Until I know what, you will stay. Besides, do you even know where here is?" he asked cooly. I didn't answer at this. In truth, I had no idea, but I wasn't going to tell him that. He probably already knew. But that meant there was only one thing to do. Shit.

Jaken gasped at the news that I was stuck with them and immediately began ranting about how a lowly human such as myself was an insult to his Lord's name, and how I had some nerve and so on- as if I had just _asked_ to stay.

"Be silent, Jaken," he commanded quietly in his monotone voice. The toad was immediately quiet, which was a relief. "I want to learn how to do that," I murmured quietly. The toad huffed and fumed, but I ignored him. Finally, I couldn't fight the sleep that was overtaking my body, and I slid into the quiet abyss.

**Normal P.O.V.**

Sesshoumaru watched the human sleep. Jaken sat by the fire mumbling about the nerve of weaklings these days. As she rolled in her sleep, her grudgingly stuck his boot out to keep her from rolling into the fire. considered everything he'd learned: She was a human priestess, but sometimes showed demon powers. She had a spit-fire temper as a human, though she was doing a passable job of containing it- he had sensed her anger at him, and wondered how long she could maintain it before saying something foolish- and she seemed to have a love of shouting. So he was left with one question: What was he going to do with her? He couldn't have her roaming around, doing Kami knows what for Kami knows why until she found her group. No, it was best if he kept her with him, at least until they reached the edge of his lands. Then he would let someone else deal with her, while he found out what the hell she was. He could check the royal library, and maybe find something useful.

She was passably attractive, at least. He could say she was a gift for a loyal courtier as the excuse for her presence... It would not do to have rumors flying around about some sort of new demon breed. He would need to see the range of her powers and skills. Then maybe he could figure out how to deal with this... situation. Maybe he should just kill it. That would solve everything, but he'd still wonder about it, it would always be in the back of his mind. And he **hated **ignorance. One of the reasons he hated Inuyasha. And he also hated lying. A lie was the same thing as an excuse.

He would deal with this later. It was giving him a headache. Another reason why he hated humans. They were so damn troublesome. Why would his father have wanted to put up with this?

**Thanks so much for reading, I really hope you like it so far. Please R&R.**

**opresiminya**


	2. Rock Slinging Lessons

**Disclaimer: Roses are red, violets are blue, I don't own Inuyasha, but neither do you.**

**So there.**

_blah blah blah : notes from the editor _

**(a/n: blah blah blah) : notes from the author**

**Rock-Slinging Lessons**

**Kagome's P.O.V.**

I woke with a start at the crack of dawn. The air was cool, and the fire that I had built was now reduced to cinders. Looking around, I noticed that there was no one in the camp. For a moment, I panicked, thinking they'd left me behind in some forsaken forest by myself, but then I heard a loud snore and looked over to see Jaken blending in very well with the dirt and mold on the ground. Ah Un was laying behind me, so I hadn't noticed them. Sesshoumaru wasn't there, though.

I took a deep breath and concentrated on spreading out my aura, a trick Miroku had taught me so that I would be able to locate allies and enemies during a battle. He taught me that everyone has a distinct aura, and I had used it ever since to keep tabs on the others doing a fight so that I would know who was in most desperate need of help. I found Sesshoumaru about a quarter mile away. I started to walk towards him, and I noticed the closer I got, the more overpowering the scent of spearmint became. I followed it, the smell burning the inside of my nose until I came to a small clearing.

In the middle of it was Sesshoumaru, standing with his eyes closed while the rising sun's light bathed him in an orange-y yellow color. He looked like something out of a dream, standing firm and regal. Then he twitched slightly and turned to look at me. I walked slowly up and stood beside him, not meeting his direct gaze, choosing to stare at the sunrise instead. After a few moments of trying to burn holes in the side of my head, he returned his attention to the sun. We stood there in a strange silence until...

"LLLLOOORRRDDD SSEEEESSSSSHHHHHHOOOOOOOMMMMMAAAAARRRRRUUU!!" The silence shattered and the squawking of birds were heard as they flew from their nests. I ran back to camp, moving silently as I approached, and located Jaken while trying to come up with the most painful torture methods I could think of. Looking around I noticed a particularly large rock. Trying to recall how Sesshoumaru seemed to sling it, I released the rock. Pleasure filled me as I watched it hit Jaken over the head, effectively silencing him. I turned and grinned at Sesshoumaru, who's expression stayed as stoic as ever. Then I walked over and nudged Jaken with my foot.

"Time to go toad," I laughed. Jaken stood and glared at me.

"I am not a toad, you worthless human, I am a demon, and Lord Sesshoumaru's loyal vassal. Show some respect, you cur," he sneered. I opened my mouth angrily to respond when a sickening 'thunk' resounded through the forest. Jaken fell forward again, clutching a second bump on his head where a rock had bounced off. I looked up to see Sesshoumaru, who was already walking towards the woods. Apparently this was a usual routine. I silently followed, while Jaken panted behind us, "Wait, my Lord!" leading Ah Un. It continued like that the rest of the day, though there were intervals where Jaken would end up on Ah Un unconscious due to more rock slinging practice.

We were still walking when the moon emerged in the sky, but Sesshoumaru showed no sign of stopping. "Sesshoumaru?" I asked quietly. His glare answered me and I quickly amended, "Lord Sesshoumaru? Are we stopping soon?" His lips became mocking as he faced forward again.

"No."

I sighed, having expected his answer. So instead I walked over to Ah-Un, who slowed enough for me to climb onto his back. Jaken didn't even wake when I slipped him into the empty saddle bag strapped to the dragon's side. Settling myself backward in the saddle, I leaned back against Ah-Un's neck, glad to finally be off my feet.

I decided the first thing I needed to do was figure out some sort of weapon for myself. Obviously I wasn't going to be getting anything from Sesshoumaru, since I couldn't use a sword effectively, and it wasn't like he was going to give me one in the first place. No, I would need a bow and arrows, something I wouldn't be able to acquire until we reached a village, and that was if I could get Sesshoumaru to stop long enough for me to, well, steal one. After all, it wasn't like I'd thought to bring money with me.

I lay like that for an hour or two in a sleepy stupor, opting to follow the moon with my eyes as it slowly dipped back down towards the horizon. I wasn't awake long enough to see them meet.

**Normal P.O.V.**

Sesshoumaru looked back at the sleeping girl when she gave a slight snort, and Ah-Un adjusted their wings in order to keep her balanced in the saddle. He had actually planned to make camp a few leagues back, but he'd seen it as a chance to test her endurance. For a human, she'd done passably well. It was actually almost dawn, he could feel the rising temperature as the sun got closer, and could sense the wildlife beginning to stir.

Since she was asleep, however, he would not have to worry about her human frailty and could push ahead to the next village. Though he detested them, he was aware of human needs. She may not have noticed, but the miko had not eaten all day, and she would soon begin to feel the effects of it. So he would spend a moment of his time to make sure he didn't have to carry the wench back to the Western Lands, and then they would continue.

Besides, he had allowed Jaken to promise that he would find Rin a new kimono. Her orange and yellow one was quickly being outgrown, and the approaching village was well known for their high-quality fabrics. Some of his courtiers often frequented the clothing shops there. He glanced at the moon and frowned slightly when he saw that it was almost a crescent moon. He was nearing a transformation.

It was a fiercely guarded secret of demons that, just as half demons had times of weakness, full demons had times of great strength. It was something that only happened once every century, where a youkai's blood broke free of the civilized restraint that an intelligent youkai kept it under. It was something that could be considered something of a weakness. While a demon possessed an immense strength that had built up over a century, they also lost control of themselves. It was the one time a youkai gave over to his base senses, often starting fights with anything that crossed their path or even taking a mate, depending on the youkai's wants and needs.

Sesshoumaru had experienced it a few times, and he wasn't worried. He often used up the excess energy by hunting lesser youkai, training his overly sensitive senses on any unfamiliar demonic aura. He would do the same now.

The approaching moon also reminded him that he had been away from the Western City for almost three months now. The last time he'd taken a trip this long had been when Inuyasha had gone after Tetsusaiga. That had only taken two months.

Recently however, the West was being affected by a rash of kidnappings, where young women were being stolen from the rice fields or taken on the road by bands of slave-traders. The women were then sold to feudal lords or other wealthy buyers. Sesshoumaru had spent the past time moving from village to village and hunting down any slavers he found. Most of them were slaughtered immediately, and those who weren't were only kept alive until they revealed the location of another group.

Stupid humans. They were lowly scum, turning against their own kind and ostracizing themselves from society to the point that their own species took up arms against them. Demons were not so foolish- at least not the intelligent ones. The four lands had alliances with each other, not matter how strenuous, and this had allowed the demon population to flourish to the point that they began to need their own government, which was how Sesshoumaru's ancestors had taken the Western throne. Inu-youkai were known for their cleverness and strength, and they had proven true through the centuries.

When Inu-Tashio had died, he had left behind a flourishing territory, and Sesshoumaru had continued to nurture it. The large village that had been the West's capital was now a fortified city, where the Western Palace and Army resided, surrounded by a large demon population who made their livelihood. If all trade stopped between the four lands, the Western City would be the only one able to support itself individually, something that Sesshoumaru had reminded adversaries when negotiating peace treaties. The West did not need them as much as they needed the West.

Of course, with a Western Palace and a Western Court came all the politics that came with it. He had to find stations for all the leaders of long-standing youkai families as well as divide the land between them. It was difficult to do when they were all convinced they deserved the largest amount of land. When first beginning his rule, Sesshoumaru had also had to sift through many ranks of soldiers to find those that would suit his armies, as well as those that could lead them effectively. It had taken time, but his choices had been worthy.

The West now had the most military power of the four lands, something not even the great Inu-Tashio had been able to achieve, Sesshoumaru reminded himself with satisfaction. The Court had long ago stopped comparing him to his father.

Ah-Un snorted softly behind him, but Sesshoumaru had already sensed the village. The sound of farmers grumbling and swearing as they headed for the fields and merchants packing for journeys to other villages echoed around the valley the village was built in the center of. By the time he'd reached the town itself the sun was high enough in the sky to dye the skies a vibrant pink.

Walking down the center of the street, Sesshoumaru moved slowly enough toward their village's shopping district that the people who had stopped to stare at him and his cargo (why did they keep staring at the damn girl? Surely they had seen a sleeping human before. Looking back at the miko's odd sleeping position where she dangled with her mouth open, he realized that she looked quite dead.) had enough time to wake the shopkeepers. Sure enough, by the time he reached their stalls, there were all open and silent, knowing better to try to call out.

Sesshoumaru walked over to Ah-Un and kicked the saddle bag. Jaken woke up with a high-pitched squawk, swearing, though he stopped immediately when Sesshoumaru reached in and dropped him on the packed-dirt road.

"Y-yes my Lord! How may this lowly servant be of assistance?" he babbled immediately. Sesshoumaru shot him a warning look to shut up as the miko woke as well, the result of Jaken's screeching.

"Holy hell I'm hungry," she said matter-of-factly, yawning. She froze for a moment when she spotted Sesshoumaru, and almost toppled off Ah-Un. By the time she regained her balance she had also regained her composure. Jumping off the dragon's back, her foreign clothes looking rumpled, she nervously tried to comb her hair into place with her fingers.

"Morning," she said uncertainly, glancing around at the village and looking relieved. "Thank the Kami. Are we going to get some food?" Sesshoumaru shot her a withering look and indicated Jaken.

"Jaken will find what you need for your human weaknesses. I have other business to attend to here." The miko in turn gave Jaken a withering look, but shrugged.

"All right." Sesshoumaru, of course, was already walking away, not caring whether or not she agreed with the arrangements. "Come on toad, we need to find some food."

**Kagome's P.O.V.**

I dragged the unwilling toad along behind me, ignoring his protests as we made our way through the market. My stomach was louder than Jaken's complaints however, and we soon found a store that sold dried goods. I didn't know where Sesshoumaru was planning on going, or how far away it was, so it was best to buy food that would keep for awhile.

While I piled small bundles of dried beef, vegetables, and containers of noodles on the shopkeeper's counter, Jaken gave him an account number. Apparently Sesshoumaru came to this village often enough that he had set up a credit system. Once I stored the dried food in Ah-Un's saddle bag, I bought a small over-the-shoulder bag as well as a new, inexpensive cotton yukata, a set of undergarments (though I preferred my modern bra to the cloth strips used in the feudal era), and a brush, vowing to pay Sesshoumaru back as soon as I got back to Inuyasha.

Putting the purchases into my bag, I hunted down the nearest bath house. I had decided that Sesshoumaru would forgive my extravagance if it meant washing away the stench the past few days had left on my skin. I was sure he could probably smell it ten times stronger than I could. The fact that Jaken didn't make any comment on my decision to bathe told me that I was right.

As I soaked in the hot spring of the bath house, I mourned slightly over my old clothes- they were filthy, and two days of rough, constant travel had taken their toll. With a sigh, I dragged myself from the soothing waters and changed into the yukata, a dark blue cotton with a light blue dragon flies along the bottom and sleeves. Pulling my wet hair up into a bun with a strip of fabric from my once-white shirt, I piled the rest of my things back into my bag and met Jaken back out on the street. Ignoring Jaken's whining about how I'd taken so long, I looked down the street to see Sesshoumaru walking towards us. It was now mid-morning, so there was now a large crowd out on the roads, but they all parted for Sesshoumaru so that he quickly rejoined our group.

Under his arm was a folded bundle wrapped in a protective waterproof cloth. He opened Ah-Un's saddle bag, raised an eyebrow at the food piled in it, and placed the package inside. He turned back towards me and his eyebrow lifted again as he looked at me.

"I'll pay you back for it all, I promise," I said quickly, smoothing down my new clothes. Sesshoumaru ignored my comment, instead deciding to respond with an assholey "It is but a pittance to me. I have no need of a worthless human's debt. I free you from it." I bristled at him.

"That's so very charitable of you _mighty Lord_," I said waspishly. "In that case, I trust it will not bother you that I need to stop by a weaponry shop. I need a bow."

"I presume that you will be buying more than just a bow, unless you plan to hit your enemies on the back of the head with it," he commented haughtily, looking down his nose at me.

"Well thanks for the reminder, Captain Obvious," I snarled at him. "Where's the armory toad?" I demanded, nudging Jaken with my foot. He smacked it away and was just about to tell me to bugger off when Sesshoumaru answered.

"Come miko. I will not be force to babysit you any longer. You will receive your weapons so that I need not protect you," he said, walking towards a large building that smoke was pouring from.

"Aw Sesshoumaru, don't tell me you're worried for my safety," I said sarcastically, following him into the store. Inside, it was very large a dark. A large fire was going in the very back, where a metal smith worked molding swords, and the light glinted off the many weapons hanging along the walls. While Sesshoumaru moved towards the man I walked over to the rack of bows in the middle of the room. Most of them were training bows, their weak strings only allowing the arrows to skitter a few feet. The last few, however, were just what I needed.

I ended up going with a long, blackwood bow with a leather string. There was also a leather strap wrapped around it for a grip, and it was notably nicer than any other bow I'd owned. Good. Lifting it off the shelf and picking up full quiver off the shelf next to it, I joined Sesshoumaru, who was explaining a diagram to the forger. Looking at it, it appeared to be the hilt of a sword or dagger. However, the metalworker folded the paper back up, nodding to Sesshoumaru, before I could get a good look at it. Jaken took care of the payment, and we all left.

Outside, Jaken clambered back up onto Ah-Un while I adjust the strap of the quiver to fit comfortably against the center of my back. We reached the edge of the village and were soon back in the cool shade of the forest. It was a beautiful day out, and I basked in the sun that broke through the tree canopy. Jaken sniffed at my 'simplistic human behavior' and warned me that it would rain tonight, trying to dampen my mood, but I ignored him, even more determined to enjoy the nice weather.

Around twilight, Jaken's prediction came true. It began to drizzle, and though I had expected Sesshoumaru to ignore the rainfall and push forward, he surprised me and Jaken by declaring that we would make camp under the foliage of a large tree, where the rain could not reach us. While Jaken and I started a fire and got Ah-Un settled, exchanging insults the entire time, Sesshoumaru watched the crescent moon rise.

"Jaken," said Sesshoumaru, interrupting Jaken's listing of the Top 10 Reasons Humans Were Not Worthy of the Air They Breathed. Jaken shut up immediately. "It is the crescent moon." I frowned at Sesshoumaru's comment of something so mundane, but Jaken gasped and stuttered a reply.

"Y-y-yes my Lord. I will keep watch of the camp while you are away!" he promised, knocking his head against the ground as he bowed. Away? Where the hell was he going? The rain was no longer a drizzle- it had accumulated into a torrential downpour around us, but Sesshoumaru disappeared into it, and was soon lost among the trees.

"Where the hell's he going in this?" I asked Jaken as I wrapped Ah-Un's saddle blanket around me. Jaken snapped at me to be quiet, but left it at that, staring into the flames of our campfire. Something was on his mind, but he wasn't going to tell me, so I wasn't going to waste my breath by asking. The sound of the rain was quickly lulling me to sleep, but Jaken, who was usually unconscious before I was, seemed determined to stay awake. I left him to it and pressed myself against Ah-Un's body, deciding on sleep.

When I woke, it was still night. Jaken was asleep, leaning against his staff to stay upright, and I could feel Ah-Un's snores through their sides. The rain had stopped, and my stomach was rumbling. Sitting up, I sifted through the saddle bag until I found some beef, pulling it out and munching on, looking back up at the moon. There was absolute silence around the camp, the wildlife not even awake yet.

The silence was broken by a long howl, and an to my left, a distance away, an aura I recognized as Sesshoumaru's flared violently. Jaken was woken by it as well, and leapt to his feet, looking worried. His expression told me all I needed. If Jaken, who always had complete confidence in his master's abilities was worried, then that meant I definitely should be.

I grabbed my bow from the ground and yanked my quiver over my head.

"Human, where are you going?" demanded Jaken, sounding panicked. I looked over my shoulder at him.

"I'm going to go save that asshole Lord of yours," I said, turning and running into the forest towards Sesshoumaru's aura.

"Wait, wench, WAIT-" screamed Jaken, but I quickly left him behind, dashing towards Sesshoumaru like a bat out of hell. Adrenaline pumped through my body as I distractedly realized I had no idea what I was running towards. With my luck, I would probably be smited before I could offer any help. I found him along a river, where he stood in the center of it, slashing viciously at a boar youkai. I pulled an arrow from its place and aimed it at the youkai. When I released it, it glowed a furious white an utterly disintegrated the boar.

I expected Sesshoumaru to turn around and tell me that he did not need the assistance of a weak human, or even to pin me against a tree and threaten me a bit. What I didn't expect was for him to attack me. He came at me like one of the possessed, and only the fact that throwing up a spiritual barrier was second nature to me saved me from his speed. However, there was the downside of feeling like I was locked in a hamster ball. Every time he struck the barrier, I was thrown bodily away from him. After only a minute of this I was feeling very dazed.

It only took a flicker of weakness in the barrier, and Sesshoumaru shredded it. He immediately tackled me, grabbing my arms and slamming me into the dirt while pressing his knees into my stomach. I was immediately winded and my arms started to bleed where his claws pierced the skin.

**Normal P.O.V.**

Sesshoumaru paused as the creature bled. He could smell the blood as his claws forced it from her body, and he felt that it was familiar to him. Holding the female down with one arm, he withdrew the other and looking at the blood on his hands before tasting it, contemplating the flavor of it as another would taste wine. He could taste human blood as the base of it, something which made him growl, However, his tongue suddenly burned as a concentrated spark of holy powers danced through it, almost immediately followed by the sweet taste of demon.

He looked back down at the creature under him, easily keeping her in place as she struggled against him. He leaned towards her. The taste of her blood confused him, and he instead relied on his sense of smell, something sacred to all inu-youkai. She smelt faintly of lemon, clean and sweet, while her blood tasted slightly sour. He decided her did not like her bleeding.

Withdrawing his claws from her flesh, he sat up, only to immediately receive a shock of holy powers dance across his abdomen once he freed her arms. Was she challenging him? She could not beat him, he knew, not during the crescent moon. But she was not weak either. He felt the potency of power in her blood, and her scent told him that she was not attached to another demon or clan.

Sesshoumaru considered his options as the female continued to try to purify him. Now that he was prepared for it, he easily slapped the power away and he contemplated. He could let her go, but that would let her live to challenge him another day. He did not like that option. He could kill her- but that would be such a waste of power. He could sense the potential she had. He needed something to connect her to him, to make it impossible to disobey.

Leaning down over her neck, he gently licked the skin where he shoulder met her neck. She stilled immediately, unsure of what to do. Then, without waiting for her to gather her resistance, Sesshoumaru sank his teeth deep into her neck. Blood welled in his mouth, the same painful flicks of holy power and the taste of demon blood. He could feel the power contained in it, and he knew he'd made the right choice. This female would be a benefit to him, whoever or whatever she was.

**A/N: Heh heh, thought it'd be a lemon, didn't you? Well, get your mind out of the gutter. I'm glad you guys have decided to continue on into chapter 2, please stick with me and R&R!**

**opresiminya**


	3. In Light Of Recent Events

**Yay! Next chapter!!! Thanks for reading this far everyone! On with the story!**

_blah blah blah : notes from the editor _

**(a/n: blah blah blah) : notes from the author**

**In the Light of Recent Events**

**Normal P.O.V.**

Kagome woke up with a splitting headache and an immense pain on her neck. Squinting against the bright sunlight, she looked around the clearing and thought it looked vaguely familiar. Her body protested violently as she sat up. Kami, her back was sore, and her neck felt like someone had pressed a branding iron to it.

Getting to her feet with a groan, Kagome hobbled over to the nearby stream. Her bow and arrows were lying in the dirt. Why had she come out here again? Leaning over the water, she splashed it on her face and against her neck, trying to cool the burning as she examined her wound.

What the fuck?

It looked like a _bite_ mark. It was deep too, and she noticed that there seemed to be very distinct canines as those punctures were still bleeding slightly. Had she been attacked by some kind of dog? Wait… a dog…

_Sesshoumaru_. That son of a bitch had _bitten_ her, and after she'd saved his ass from that freaking boar youkai too. What the hell was his problem? He couldn't stand to accept help from a human so he decides to attack her as well?

Leaping to her feet, Kagome grabbed her bow and arrows and marched back to camp, ignoring her back's stiffness and her wet feet. She was going to take one of these brand new, point arrows and shove it straight up his-

"Wench."

Sesshoumaru was waiting by the large tree of the campsite. His face didn't show any emotion, but the aura he was giving off was absolutely livid. Kagome cringed slightly at the fury directed at her before her own anger flared back to life. Who the hell was he to be angry?

Kagome walked over until she was just out of arms reaching, giving him a look that said, quite plainly, that she wished him 10,000 generations of pain and suffering. He ignored it.

"You will be leaving." Okay, she had not expected that.

"W-what?" she gaped. Was he seriously trying to dump her in the middle of the forest because she'd _helped_ him?

"Are you hard of hearing, human?" He looked at her rather scornfully. "I have decided that you will no longer be accompanying this Sesshoumaru on his journey."

"Well that's just fine with me you jerk! I come trekking through the forest to save your ungrateful butt from that boar youkai, and you can't get over your pride long enough to thank me- no, instead you attack me, throw me into a tree, and _bite_ me. I've had enough of your bipolar moods, with you it's either rabid animal or emotionally detached asshole!"

With that, she snatched her bag up from the ground, turned around, and walked in the opposite direction of Sesshoumaru, inwardly swearing to never pay him back the money he had spent on her. She didn't make it fifty feet before the bite mark on her neck began to sting and smart, and the further she went the more it burnt. Kagome swore, clapping and hand to her neck.

"I did not say that you were permitted to leave. You will return with Jaken to the Western City. I do not expect a simple human to understand the significance of that mark on your neck." Kagome stared at him, torn between anger at his holier-than-thou attitude and fear at what he was implicating.

"Did you poison me?" she gasped

"You are not worth the effort," he said carelessly. "However, you are currently a dangerous liability to me, and had it not adverse effect, I would simply kill you now and be done with it."

"_What the hell are you talking about_?" I half shouted, fingers itching to get a decent grip around his throat. However, Sesshoumaru was spared the 'effort' of answering when Jaken emerged from a bush, huffing noisily. He caught sight of Kagome before he did Sesshoumaru.

"WHY IS THERE A MATING MARK ON YOUR NECK, GIRL?"

**Kagome's P.O.V.**

I stared at him.

WHHHHAAAAATTTT???

**Normal P.O.V.**

"WHHHHAAAAATTTTT???"

Sesshoumaru eye twitched slightly as the human miko screeched her disapproval. Though it was tempting to silence the source of the noise, he instead took out his frustration on the imp who had brought this annoyance upon him. Grinding Jaken's skull into the dirt helped to ease his mood.

"Silence you incessant whining, wench," he directed coolly. He waited until she had been reduced to gaping silently at him. "As I said, Jaken and Ah-Un will escort you to the Western City, where you will wait until I can remove the mark from your neck, at which time you are to leave my territory immediately or I will send you from it in an urn."

Kagome was still beyond answering, instead opting to drop onto her backside to stare at Sesshoumaru with an expression that was too close in resemblance to the half-breed Inuyasha's. Apparently more than his foul language had rubbed off on the girl; he had somehow managed to destroy her intelligence as well.

If she'd had any in the first place, that is. Which he doubted. Deciding that he needed to escape the newly-acquired baggage of this human wench for the sake of his own intellect, Sesshoumaru had turned to leave when he was stopped again.

This time by an arrow whizzing past his right ear and embedding itself in the tree he had just gotten up from. He looked over his shoulder to see the miko already loading another arrow into her bow, this one charged with her unusually colored holy energy. It crackled dangerously, and Jaken let out a yelp when he tried to stop the wench and was rewarded with a power tendril to the butt.

"You have a lot of explaining to do Sesshoumaru," she said in a poor imitation of his own cold, commanding tone. "And you're not going anywhere until you explain exactly what you did." Sesshoumaru toyed with the idea of simply suffocating her into unconsciousness and trussing her up to be delivered to the City by Jaken. But at the same time he couldn't have her shooting her mouth off once she was there. He was in the middle of a peace agreement with the East.

"Jaken will explain," he said simply, pushing (or punting, depending who you were) Jaken towards her with his boot. Then he nimbly leapt over his whining minion to where the wench was kneeling on the ground. Withdrawing a fair amount of demonic energy from Tokijin, Sesshoumaru extinguished her arrow with a touch. It gave him a nasty burn, but he didn't give any indication and she didn't notice.

"Don't ever try that again," he warned her, his own icy tone much more effective than her pathetic attempt. He waited until she nodded silently before he disappeared into the trees.

**Kagome's P.O.V.**

Well. Shit. I dropped back onto my butt as he flashed back into the trees and vanished. Jaken was left staring after him as well before turning back to me, for once at a loss at what to say.

He was joking wasn't he? I couldn't stay at his castle- I had to get back to Inuyasha and the others! I had to find the rest of the jewel shards, and there was no way in the seven hells that I was staying here just because _Sesshomaru_ wanted me to.

I snarled under my breath, and considered hunting the bastard down, but Ah Un was getting rather impatient, and since he was my only mode of transportation if i wanted to get anywhere before I was 30, the dragon was my only choice. After gathering my things, I climbed on just as Jaken fell through some bushes.

Ignoring his protests, I grabbed him by the back of his robe and dropped him on the back of Ah-Un. While he grumbled at me and adjusted (purposely hitting me over the back of his head with his staff), I gave Ah-Un a nudge with my foot and the dragon turned a quarter to the left and began walking.

And walking.

And walking.

Three hours later, my butt was so sore I could barely sit still, and Jaken had continued to grumble over having to share his ride with a 'mere human wench.'

"Shut up, toad, or I'll silence you more effectively then Sesshoumaru ever could," I snarled, he was giving me a headache already.

"What are you going on about, you waste of flesh? You'd never be able to top Lord Sesshoumaru in anything, nor could you ever silence me." I raised an eyebrow.** (a/n: Wow, Sesshoumaru is already starting to rub off on her.)**

"Oh really?"

"Really."

"Well Jaken, I see you must be someone very talented."

"Huh?" was his ever-so-intelligent reply.

"You must be the only living creature who could talk properly with his balls down his throat. Or is it that you don't have any?" I watched, rather fascinated at his sudden resemblance to a beached whale, as Jaken's mouth hit the ground. Then I rolled my eyes and nudged Ah Un gently with my feet, realizing how much of Inuyasha had apparently rubbed off on me. He began trotting, looking for some open sky, while Jaken scrambled onto his rump. Jaken really was a bother. Why would Sesshoumaru have wanted to put up with this?

We walked until about noon, and in that time I managed to get suicidal bored. Not even rock-slinging could cheer me up, and Jaken didn't' seem very fond of it either. So instead I decided to remind Jaken of the task his 'great lord' had left to him.

"Jaken, I'm pretty sure you owe me a few explanations," I said, giving him a nudge with my elbow. Jaken looked up at me, his face scrunched petulantly.

"I do not owe you anything human," he sniffed, looking away from me.

"No- I'm pretty sure you do- unless of course you want Sesshoumaru to come back and find out I had to go somewhere very public and ask very loudly what exactly Sesshoumaru- ya know, the lord of the West?- did to my neck." Jaken hissed.

"You absolutely will not. As if any of your foolish humans would know anything about a branding mark anyways," he huffed. Now it was my turn to growl.

"A WHAT?" I asked dangerously.

"It's not a real mark yet. Not until you and Lord Sesshoumaru go through the Mating Ceremony. So until then, it's just a branding mark, and that's probably all it will ever be. I have no doubt that the great Lord Sesshoumaru has gone to find a way to remove it. He would never sink so low as to mate a lowly human wench such as yourself." I ignored the insults tacked onto this bit of information.

"But I'm not exactly weak anymore. See?" I pulled my bow of my shoulder and loaded an arrow. "Watch," I said, and I drew the bow, concentrating on the center of a tree a good hundred yards off, and I sent a jolt of power into the bow just as I release the string. The string's force pushed the power through the bow, where it came out to hit the tree dead center. I looked over at Jaken, whose mouth was hanging open and eyes popping. I sighed.

"Please Jaken. I'm assuming that because of your age that you have some wisdom, please don't disappoint me." Damn, I wish Myoga was here. _He _would know something.

I felt a sharp pain on my neck and slapped at it. Looking at my hand, I grinned at life's little conveniences.

Speak of the devil.

**Normal P.O.V (with Sesshoumaru)**

Sesshoumaru ran through the woods, heading for the village of the nekos. Just the thought of having to ask for help from the cat demons made him bare his fangs, but they were among the oldest of demon-kind, and he needed information. He needed to know how to remove that branding mark. It wasn't a true Mark yet, it just told other demons that she was claimed. But it also had the unwanted tendency to bring mates together in times of trouble. In other words, anytime she was in some sort of danger, the marks would act as a signal until he dragged his ass back to her in order to protect her.

If he could have his way, he'd just let her die and forget about it. But he couldn't. Even though the branding mark wasn't a true Mark, they were still connected in a life-or-death sort of way. So if she died, so did he. Sesshoumaru sighed. He should have listened to his instincts back at that whore-house and just killed the wench and saved himself a helluva lot of trouble. But he'd let his curiosity get the better of him. The same way he had last night in the clearing.

The moon had never driven him so out of his senses before. He had heard stories of demons taking mates during their times, but he' never had the inclination, even with the excess of demon blood coursing through him. But last night had been instinct- she was no longer the weak human she'd been when he had battled for Tetsusaiga, and the power had attracted him to her. He had not been willing to allow another demon to have her.

And now he was stuck with her. If those neko demons had the answer, he'd get it, even if he had to wring it out of them, he'd get it.

As he approached the gates of the village, he slowed and finally stopped in front of the Main Gate, a vast, carved wooden gate as thick as a man was tall, which led into the stone fortress of the nekos. Guards were blocking his path in, spears raised and dressed in thick cloth to protect them from the harsh mountain winds. Luckily for them, someone recognized him, so Sesshoumaru was spared the bother of having to dispose of them. The Gate was pushed open by about a dozen men, and Sesshoumaru was led inside to the largest of the manors. The manor was owned by Chikyo, the head of the neko village, who was standing by the door to greet Sesshoumaru. He had a slight, nimble build, with a small face that carried delicate features, including sparkling green eyes and long, noble whiskers. His hands had sheathed claws instead of fingernails, and his ears were the typical cat ears, small but sensitive.

"Ah, Lord Sesshoumaru, how kind of you to pay us this unexpected visit," he purred, his voice smooth and seductive. Sesshoumaru stiffened, aware of Chikyo's cunning ability to manipulate the mind.

"I've come on a matter of urgency, Chikyo. I need information on removing a branding mark," he replied, giving Chikyo his coldest stare and most dangerous voice, pleased when Chikyo leaned back onto his heels. But then Chikyo's eyes narrowed and a small smirk graced his lips.

"Removing a branding mark? Dear me, Lord Sesshoumaru, whatever could have happened for you to require such information. However," he continued quickly upon hearing Sesshoumaru's impatient snarl, "I believe we can help you. Do come in while I find the scroll." Chikyo turned and walked into the manor, Sesshoumaru following after. They walked to library, a large room with wood paneled walls, a large table, and wide cushions. There Sesshoumaru sat on a cushion while Chikyo searched the shelves for the scroll.

After a moment, he gave a small "Ah-ha!" of victory and pulled out a long, yellowed scroll, the edges of which were crumbling. Pulling it open, Chikyo laid it on the table in front of Sesshoumaru and ran his finger down the columns to the proper heading. When Sesshoumaru made to turn the scroll toward him, Chikyo slapped his hand away absentmindedly, and muttered, "Don't touch, dirt-fingers. These scrolls are older than your ancestors," only looking to Sesshoumaru's when he was pinned to the floor by his throat **(a/n: This is apparently a favorite move of Sesshy's)**

"Listen well, neko. The only reason you are not already dead is that I need this information, and may very well be back. But eventually you will lose your usefulness, and I suggest you look ahead to that time when dealing with me," he threatened quietly. It wasn't true of course- Chikyo and Sesshoumaru had known each other since boyhood, but that didn't mean Sesshoumaru wouldn't break a few bones.

Chikyo was smart enough to remain silent instead of responding with one of his usual sarcastic remarks. Sesshoumaru let him go, and he slid to the floor, looking rather disheveled. Then Chikyo stood and pointed to the proper column on the scroll, which was still sitting on the table.

"Here we are. I'll leave you to your ponderings," Chikyo said, walking out of the library and closing the doors behind him, trying to pull himself back together. Sesshoumaru looked down a the scroll and read through the column about branding marks. His eyebrows lifted more and more as he read._ "used to mark a demon's intended mate""cannot be removed by demon once bestowed"_ Sesshoumaru frowned, the only sign of his annoyance. This damn scroll wasn't helping at all... that is until he saw the _"however"_.

_"However, as it is considered the male demon's responsibility to bind his mate, the branding mark can be removed by other demons. This requires a full Mating Ceremony by another demon, but the drawback to such a situation is that both the intended mate and the new male demon must be willing to proceed with the Ceremony."_

Which mean, unless he was willing to hand over such a powerful creature to another Land, he was stuck with her. The closest he could come would possibly be an arranged Mating with the Northern Lord in exchanged for unrestricted trade. Sesshoumaru pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration.

So he was stuck with her.

**REVIEW!!! DON'T MAKE ME SET MY EDITOR ON YOU! ASHLEY IS ARMED WITH SUGAR!! You poor souls wouldn't last ten minutes with a hyped-up Ashley.**_** You cant even last that long hun**_** So review and maybe I'll relent. Thanks again to everyone for reading this far. I'm really glad everyone is willing to give this fic a chance.**

**opresiminya**


	4. Myoga Spills His Guts

**Okay eveyone, I'm going to be taking a short break after this, only a day or two. I have a guy i'm meeting ups with, and I don't know where it will go (so everyone please cross your fingers for me). Hopefully this will keep you all satisifed until I can finish the next chapter, and I promise I'll work double time. But now it's time to learn about Kagome's form. Don't forget to review, please! I love constructive critisism, let me know if you think it's cheesy. TELL ME!!! Anyway, on with the story!!!**

_blah blah blah : notes from the editor _

**(a/n: blah blah blah) : notes from the author**

**Myoga Spills His Guts**

**Kagome's P.O.V.**

Myoga sat up in my hand, rubbing his head

"Ah, Kagome, how nice to taste you again," _shes perverse and she doesnt even know it...or does she???hmmmm i think shes hiding some lemons from us all _**(a/n: WHO TOLD YOU!?! I"LL GUT THEM!) **he commented, looking up at me. I smiled down at him.

"Oh, Myoga, you have no clue how nice it is to see you. I need some help," I begged, transfering him to my shoulder so that I could take up Ah Un's reins again.

"Yes, I can see that. Thank goodness Lord Sesshomaru found you before someone else did." I snorted, earning me a rather alarmed look from Ah Un.

"Hardly," I replied dryly. "He pulled me out of a whore-house."

"_What?_"

"I got kidnapped while I was walking, and was sold to a whore house. But that's not what I need to talk to you about. While I was there, something weird happened. I felt almost... demonic. And look at me, I'm completly different. And my bow, I was able to pull it out of thin air! And-" I took a deep breath, looking down at Myoga. He was sitting there in a thoughtful silence.

"It may be," he said thoughfully, "that you're a form-shifter. But... they became extinct centuries ago."

"A form-shifter?"

"Yes... that would explain your ability to switch between human and demon. If I'm correct, you should be able to switch to an angel too."

"An angel? Do they even-"

"Of course they exist!" Myoga exclaimed indignantly. "One of my dearest friends was and angel. Anyways, think of yourself as a combination of Tokijin, Tenseiga, and Tetsusaiga. Heaven, Earth, and Hell. Angel, Human, and Demon. All combined into one person. But how you could have gotten the blood is beyond me. Like I said, form-shifters have been extinct for centuries." He looked up at me.

"How many times have you shifted?" I thought about that.

"Well, I've switched to a demon three times, and I've used my miko powers once, but they might have been my angel powers since it wasn't the usual pink. It was white. But now I can't switch back. I've been like this all day, when usualy I turn back into a human once I've finished using my demonic powers." I paused, considering everything. "What should I look like when I'm in each form?"

"Well, you're obviously in your demon form right now, and you've been in your human form for most of your life, so the angel form is the only one you're not familiar with. It's always a little different for each person. But it essentially consists of white hair, wings, and your Staff."

"Wings?" I asked, wincing at the thought of those little cupid wings that you usualy find on fat little cherubs on the ceilings of historic buildings. Myoga gave a little 'ahem' to get my attention.

"Yes, wings. They're white and each one is about as long as you are tall. Very useful too. They even have the helpful feature of being waterproof. You can imagine trying to fly when each of your wings is almost three times your weight from water."

"_Fly?_" I gasped. Oh, the possiblities... no more whining Jaken, no more traveling with Sesshomaru and the ice sickle up his ass.

"Of course fly, Kagome, what else would they be used for?" Myoga responded, sounding disappointed, as if he'd expected me to be a little brighter. I decided to change the subject.

"What about the Staff. What's that?"

"When a form-shifter is at the age of ten, the village leader shows them how to form their Staff. You were never able to form yours until now because of your lack of awarness. Anyway, your staff is where most of their power is kept, and is also their guardian in a way. It has the ability to form barriers around the owner in case they are injured. It changes as you change. I see you've already formed yours. It's taken a very strange form, though. Usually it becomes, well, a staff." I looked around searching for what he was talking about. Myoga sighed.

"Your bow, Kagome," he said, sounded exasperated. I picked up the bow and examined it more closely. It was wooden to the touch, but had a strange, crystal-like appearance about it. At the top was a set diamond. Right now it was a dark rose-red in the center that branched into a light green. "But... what did you use for the string? Usually you use a strand of your own hair, so that your staff's strenght is equal to your own. If it was greater, than you'd become possessed." I shifted rather uncomfortably under his intense gaze.

"Well, it is a hair," I edged. He persued.

"_Whose _hair?" he questioned. I looked away.

"Sesshomaru's." The reaction was immediate and predictable. Myoga gasped, while Jaken, who'd apparently been eavesdropping, shouted, "That's impossible! You could never overcome my Lord!"

"I never said I could overcome him," I said indignantly. "Maybe I'm just not as weak as everyone seems to think," I hinted, rather pleased at this new revelation. Jaken snorted and Myoga gave a little cough.

"Thanks for your support," I huffed. Really, where is the emotional support when you need it! No wonder almost all of the girls in this era are all so helpless. I thought about all the time Inuyasha had to save my ass, and it gave me some satisfaction to know that I wasn't so weak anymore.

"So how can I change back? Not that being a demon isn't nice and all, but the stench of Jaken is starting to get overwhelming," I added, ingnoring Jaken's shouts and threats, as did Myoga.

"All you have to do, is hold onto your bow, and concentrate on being human. Feel your claws retract, your fangs shrink and blunt. Let your demonic energy leave your body." I took the bow in my hands and imagined my demonic energy all being summoned into my chest, where I let it out with a deep exhale. When I opened my eyes, my hair was shorter again without the green tint, my claws and fangs were gone, as was the extra-sensitive hearing and smelling, which was a relief by itself. Looking down at my bow, I noticed the jewel in it was now completely green. Myoga gave a small whoop of pride. "Very nicely done, Kagome. I believe you should try your angel form now. Just think of the extra weight you carry on your back now, and the feeling of soaring through the air. Think of your miko powers, intensified by a hundred-fold." I nodded, and thought of how it would feel to be an angel, to control the puriest of powers, to soar over the land.

A piercing pain errupted in my back, causing me to scream. It felt like hot swords had been driven in side by side, then pulled out again. As I felt my wings push through, I hurriedly pulled off the top of my kimono to give them room. They finally freed themselves from my back and spread out, alarming Ah Un and knocking Jaken off completly. The pain faded, and I quickly turned to look at my wings.

They were just as Myoga had described them. Almost as tall As I was when folded, the feathers were long and soft. I could feel my blood pumping through them with the same awareness of the blood going through my heart. Except I could feel a purified power thruming through them every once in a while. I brushed my white hair out of my face, looking up at my wings in awe. Wait... white?

My hair was waist-length again, but it was snow white, to the point that it almost glowed. My nails were long again, but not the pointed nails of demon. Now they were rounded and smooth, like crecents. I looked down at my bow and into the jewel at the top. It had turned into a white that branched into the green. A sudden thought hit me.

"Hey, Myoga. Was I ever really a miko? Or was I just, well, a form-changer?" Myoga thought about this.

"Well, I believe that it was your angel powers not fully developed, which is why it was pink instead of white. But now that they're mature, they'll be much more potent. So must be careful around you demon... ah... companions when like this," he finished sternly. I had a sudden mental picture of literaly purifying Sesshomaru's ass to the depths of hell. Myoga must have noticed the sly look spreading across my face, as he threw in an extra, "Do you understand me, Kagome?" in a severe voice. I nodded glumly. Suddenly Myoga smiled.

"Now that we have such serious matters attended to, I can congradulate you on a lighter subject."

"Huh?"

"Your mating to Lord Sessshomaru. I must say it came as quite a shock-"

"WELL IT SHOULD!! WE ARE NOT MATES NOR WILL WE EVER BE!! HE IS A SELFISH, ARROGANT PRICK WITH AN ICE SICKLE UP HIS ASS!!!" I shrieked, furious that anyone would think I would willingly mate with such a hot-headed jackass. As if.

Myoga almost fell of my shoulder in surprise to my sudden newsflash. But he managed to perch himself back on my shoulder and looked up at me, a shrewd look on his face.

"Kagome... you said he found you in a whore-house... was it a heat of the moment sort of thing...? If it was-" This flea was making all the wrong moves.

"Are you implying that I would rut with Sesshomaru for _money_? There isn't enough money in the world to get me to do that. And if you're not implying that, could it be you're trying to politly call me a slut?" I asked calmly. If I was feeling rational, then I would have known that Myoga would never have even thought about such things, let alone say them. But I was PMSing right now, and this poor demon would never see another day if he didn't make a run for it. He seemed to realize that.

"Kagome, do not be ridiculous. I would never say such things. I would stay to uphold my argument, but there are some important matters I must attend to, so I must be going. Farewell!" and with that, he lept off my shoulder into the grass.

Now that Myoga was gone, I could concentrate on the present. I still absolutly refused to go to Sesshomaru's palace. If he wants me there, he can come and drag me, because I sure as hell wan't going willingly. And now that I had wings... I could just fly back! I could navigate my way to Inuyasha's Forest, and if I needed to, I could use my demonic senses. Yes, I definatly had all the tools I needed to figure this out and deal with any issues that might come up. Now all I had to do was slip the toad. I almost laughed. Sesshomaru's moment of weakness was going to come back and bite him in the ass.

I slid of Ah Un, saying I wanted to strech my legs. As soon as Jaken turned around I dove for a rock and let it fly, using the exact method Sesshomaru had taught me. As soon as the imp was out, I was gone. Flying was remarkably easy. My wings pumped in rythem to my heart beat, so as soon as I started, they kept themselves going. All I had to do was steer. Like a car! I got a few cuts from pushing through the treetops, but I managed. I was suddenly reminded of flying on an airplane when I broke through. Like when you rise about the clouds and it's like another world, it was the same once I was about the trees. An ocean of green that rose and fell over hills and through valleys. There were the occasional bird flock, but other than that, I was alone. For the first time since my walk where I'd been kidnapped, I was alone, and I loved it.

I hovered about two hundred feet up or so, and concentrated on finding a village. Then I could get directions and fly back... and then sit the hell out of Inuyasha for not coming to my aid and leaving me to travel with his prick of a brother for three days. Then I was taking a bath. I was drawn out of my plans when my aura pushed against those of many human villagers. And it was nearby, so I might be able to get there before noon if I flew fast.

----------------

Let me tell you something. Flying is boring. I mean, it's beautiful in the air, and it's definatly a nice experiance, but it's like a car ride. You watch the landscape for a while, but after a while, the silence gets boring, and that's how arguments start with the others in the car. But I didn't even have anyone to annoy, or talk to. It was just me and some birds, and they're not very social. So I was left with lots of thinking time, and while I did have a lot to consider, I couldn't get very far without anyone to confer with. So I just flew in complete silence and thought about those little questions that no one has ever found answers to. If a tree falls, and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound? or Which came first, the chicken or the egg? Once I'd finished making my brain hurt going around in pointless cirlces, I thought about Naraku's whereabouts, or how I got form-shifter blood, or why Sesshomaru's scent was spearmint, or why my mark was tingling... oh shit. The mark.

I'd completly forgotten about how I'd been draged back to Sesshomaru this morning. And he was just going to do the same thing once he found out I was gone. Shit shit shit! I had to get back to Inuyash and the others before that happened, or I was screwed. I was sure one of them would be able to help me. But I doubted that my wings would be able to carry me all the way to Inuyasha before Sessshomaru returned, esspecially since, even with directions, I was pretty much guessing my way through this whole thing. I needed to go faster, damnit. I pushed my wings to the limit, carrying me much faster than any car, and I soon reached the village. But it wasn't any good. The best they could do was "to the north somewhere". But that might have been because I scared the shit out of them when I landed. The north was my only direction before they broke down into hysterical sobs.

I. Was. Screwed.


	5. Reunited

Greetings, everyone! I would like to thank everyone who reviewed. The rest of you get to spend an hour with Ashley the Editor and my borrowed katana. Why, you ask? Because over 400 hits and only five reviews! And I lost more than half of my readers after the first chapter. If you don't like it, that's fine, I respect that, but tell me WHY! So that I can fix it! Anyway, super-huge thanks to:

Kimster44 , .Smart.Ass.Punk. , AnimeNikki , Chicke , and CompassGold for reviewing, and to the other people who favorited this story. Now for some notes: 1. Yes, Hiroki is coming back. He plays a major role in this chapter and the story, and I love him too much to kill him off. 2. Inuyasha does come back later. Why would I bother to keep him alive if he wasn't even going to do anything? 3. REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Now then, on with the story!

_blah blah blah : notes from the editor _

**(a/n: blah blah blah) : notes from the author**

**Reunited**

**Kagome's P.O.V.**

I was lost. There was no point in denying it. I was lost, and I was nowhere near any sort of village. It was almost sunset, and I silently cursed the villagers who'd given me directions. "To the north somewhere" they say. "That's all we know," they say. How do you not know where one of the only villages around is? Who else would they trade with? I had no doubt that someone there could have given me better directions, but it wasn't my fault that they'd all become hysterical. I can understand why, I must have looked like some sort of angelic vulture, but doesn't anyone know how to keep a cool head anymore? From what I saw, apparently not.

I let out a small groan and rubbed my back. My wings had seized up an hour or so ago, and it had scared the shit out of me. When I'd been falling, my thoughts had been 'I wonder if my wings cramped up because of PMS?' which then made me wonder if there was something wrong with me. I'd been about 40 feet about the ground before the sudden cramp passed. I'd contemplated using my demonic speed, but I couldn't tell direction with the trees blocking my view, so I'd opted to continue flying. But now my wings were protesting quite painfully, so that meant either landing, or being found by some traveler impaled on a tree branch or something. I spotted a clearing by a small stream ahead of me, and landed in the soft mud along it. I wasn't too great at landing yet. Maybe that was why those villagers were so scared. When I was trying to land, I'd accidentally plowed into one who was working in the fields. Anyway, it was in my best interest if I landed somewhere soft.

After completely missing the ground and instead diving head first into the stream, I was able to pull myself out and set up a fire. Catching fish was another issue. I'd never been fast enough to do it, so that'd been Inuyasha's job. So maybe I could use my demonic speed? That brought on another issue: I, with my amazingly crappy planning skills, had left my bow on Ah Un when I'd made my escape. So now that I didn't have it, that meant I was stuck like this form. Which meant at some point I'd have to go and get it back. Crap crap crap! This was not my day.

I sat in front of the fire, my wings spread out behind me in the dirt. I really shouldn't rest for very long, I knew. It was only a matter of before Sesshomaru returned and found me gone and would either come to find me on a bloody rampage, or drag me back over miles of terrain. Both were very probable.

I closed my eyes against the last of the evening sun, feeling the cold of night press against my back. Shivering, I pulled my knees up to my chest and rested my head on them. The last thing I heard before I slipped into a deep slumber was the crackling of the fire.

'_Lady' _someone called to me in my sleep. I tried to tell them to go away, because they would not have much longer to live if they woke me up. I was too tired. A soft chuckled reached my ears.

'_Come now, Lady. Is this any way to greet me?'_

'_Leave me alone, you jerk. I'm trying to sleep.'_

'_I think that it would be better if I woke you up. You see, we'll be having some rather… unwanted company soon, and I'd prefer to be gone by then.'_

I finally opened my eyes, tired of this mental conversation, as to give this newcomer my opinions of what his preferences were, and my gold eyes met red. I opened my mouth to let out a shriek, and a hand was promptly slapped over it.

"Quiet," the man hissed. I glared at him over his palm, but it slid away as I took in his appearance. His hair was long and black, but was pulled into a ponytail. His eyes were a blood red, but had a softness to them that was not very common in demons. There were black stripes on his cheeks, and a black horseshoe was in the middle of his head. He was wearing samurai-styled armor, but it was of a higher quality then most, and he was wearing a katana at his hip. And in his hand was- my bow!

He noticed that my eyes were glued to my weapon, and he smiled.

"I thought you'd be wanting this. I ran into that imp and his dragon on my way here, and it had your scent all over it. I must admit, I wonder where the little demon learned his fighting technique. It must have been used to confuse your enemy, because I was certainly confused as to why he set fire to his own robes." His voice was light and amused, and his red eyes were sparkling. "I'm glad to see that you're all right, Lady, though you've certainly changed quite a bit since I last saw you," he commented, eyes on my wings and hair. I was finally able to find my voice.

"And when was that, pray tell," I asked sarcastically. He put on a hurt expression, but his eyes still shone.

"When they were dragging you off into the whore-house a few days ago. You left in quite a hurry too with your friend. Where is he, pray tell," he added with a smirk. I frowned in return. Who was this guy, anyway?

"He ran off somewhere. And he's not my friend, he's an arrogant prick with a stalactite up his ass," I continued. The man grinned. He stood up and offered me a hand, which I took, still staring at him. He seemed oddly familiar, his eyes at least, and the title of Lady was ringing bells, the memory was just out of mental reach. It was when I remembered why I had woken up that the memory came to me.

"So, Hiroki-kun, you finally found me," I said with a smile. He raised an eyebrow mockingly.

"Finally? I would like to comment on the fact that I just got out today, whereas it took you almost, what, two or three days to get here?" I stuck my tongue out at him and looked him over again through new eyes.

"You've changed as well. When did all this happen?" I asked, tracing the stripes on his cheeks and the mark on his forehead with my index finger. He caught my hand by the wrist, and rolled his eyes.

"I would think a …eh… miko would be more knowledgeable about demons and their true forms," he commented, shaking his head in mock disappointment. Then he tensed, turning on the heels of his feet to look at the tree line through narrowed eyes. "But now is not the time for a lesson on demons, since if we stay here, we'll soon be educated on how lethal a snake demon's venom is. There is a pack of snake-demons coming towards us, and their bite is very poisonous. We should go. Here," he said, tossing me my bow. I gripped it tightly, getting a sudden feeling of completion, like getting back a favorite piece of jewelry I'd never realized was missing. I hadn't felt the emptiness where most of my power would be if I'd had the bow. My weariness was washed away, and I felt much more aware of things. In fact, I could now easily sense the auras of about 8 fully-grown snake demons heading towards us. I frowned at Hiroki. I could easily purify these demons. Why would we bother to run away? He caught my questioning look and shook his head.

"These demons are part of the Western Lord's court. We can't afford to kill them, they're too important. Besides, we need to get you to a safer spot." I bristled at this last comment. Here was another guy telling me I was too weak to take care of myself.

"Listen, you jerk, I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself. I don't need to run from anyone like a dog with my tail between my legs," I huffed, crossing my arms and snapping my wings open before pulling them tight to my back. To my annoyance however, Hiroki didn't look chastened at all in fact, he was laughing, the ass.

"I'm not doubting you're ability to cope with some demons, Kagome, I'm talking about the fact that I don't think you're ready to deal with half of Japan's demons at once without training. Right now you're giving off a very powerful aura, and it can be felt for miles, and the scent of fertility is radiating off you. I believe I'm correct in guessing that you don't plan to take a mate-"

"HELL YES!"

"-which means we should get you to those friends you were telling me about before the rest of the aroused demons that are gathering arrive," he finished calmly. I spread my aura for a few miles, and sure enough, hordes of demons were heading for the clearing.

"As brilliant a plan as that is, I have no idea where we are, and I have no idea how to get back to the village, or even if my friends will be there," I shot at him, getting nervous as I felt all the auras around me gather until it was almost like I was surrounded by a wall of them, all waiting just out of sight in the shadows. "And even if I flew over these demons, I think you're just a bit too heavy to carry." Hiroki didn't answer, instead pulling off his katana and silently handing it too me.

"Don't drop that when we go, got it," he warned. "I'm going to want that later when I change back. Now then," and without further ado, he began to change back into his demonic form, a large black stallion with blood red eyes. I tried to watch, but the demonic winds were too strong, so I covered my eyes with my arm to protect them from the airborne dirt. When the gusts had died down I was facing a horse that was a good three heads taller than me. Hiroki tossed his head towards his sleek glossy back. I walked to his side and jumped, preparing to scramble on. However, instead of just sliding back off as I'd expected, I landed on top of his back agley.

'_Getting a bit showy, aren't we,'_ came a familiar voice in my head. I ignored this comment and moved on to more important matters.

'_So do you have any idea where you're going, or are we going for a pony ride,' _I asked sarcastically. Hiroki snorted.

'_We're going to your village. I don't know if you've ever noticed this, but not everyone is completely oblivious to nature's little signs. The sun set over there,'_ he tossed his head to my right. _'So that's the west. We need to go to the north, which is behind us.' _So saying, he turned and began running. But each time he picked up his hoof, it was like he was running up steps, so by the time we'd gone about 20 yards, we were a good 30 feet up, high enough to clear the trees. Of course, the demons below us weren't just going to be reasonable and admit defeat. No, instead they climbed up the trees in an attempt to grab my foot as we passed, or at least bring Hiroki down, but the only incident was when an elemental fire demon set fire to my kimono, which was now no more than a filthy rag that had been shredded in the back for my wings. But the fire was almost immediately put out when another water demon hit us with some sort of water cannon that almost knocked me clean off Hiroki.

I was quickly getting fed up with this. Who wouldn't? I was being treated like some sort of bounty prize, and it was pissing me off. Drawing my bow, I concentrated on aiming a bold of purifying power. When I released the string, a white shaft of power shot out, purifying about 30 demons before dying. This continued for about 6 more bolts until Hiroki was high enough to run without having to doge demons and trees. The sudden bounce of his hindquarters nearly unseated me, and I was forced to claw my way back up his back and bury my fists in his mane.

As Hiroki ran, I was able to find my seating and concentrated on finding the ever-elusive village. I looked down at the terrain below us, trying to find some sort of landmark. And I found it. A tree a short distance away, one that stood tall about any of the others surrounding it: Goshinkibu **(a/n: I have no clue how to spell that)**. Finally! It had taken a ridiculously long time to find it, and it had even been within flying distance!

'Hiroki, down there, that really tall tree. It's almost right next to the village, so we can just walk. And I can sense a demonic aura next to it, I think it's Inuyasha!' Hiroki didn't respond, but he picked up the pace, and soon he landed in the clearing that surrounded the well. I slid off him and ran towards the Tree of Ages, gripping my bow to become human again as I went. I didn't want to have to explain to him immediately why there were feathery appendages sticking out of my back. They pulled back into my back just as I rounded a tree to stand a few feet away from the Tree and the figure leaning against the trunk. And let me tell you, it was NOT Inuyasha. In fact, it was the last person I wanted to see. Staring at me with an icy glare that froze me to the spot, was one pissed off Sesshomaru.

**Yay! End of chapter 5! I hope no one is disappointed with this chapter, and more thanks to everyone that reviewed. I've decided to be stubborn. I'll put up the next chapter, which I have written, when I get 10 reviews from different people. I think that's a fair amount. Thank you so much to everyone for reading this and giving it a chance, I love you all! Please R&R!**


	6. Distraction

**Ciao, everyone! Thanks so much to everyone for all their lover-ly reviews! You guys even reached the requirement! Which I appreciate. But now comes the really hard part, so lets see if you can handle it… 15 reviews! Everyone's already more than halfway there! All I need is for the other 60 or so people whom I KNOW saw the last chapter to review! Anyway, I hope you enjoy this next chapter, and I'm going to shut up now… enjoy::is pelted with Inuyasha plushies by annoyed readers:: YAY!!!**

'_blah blah blah' _: conversations between Hiroki and Kagome

**blah blah blah **: conversations between Sesshomaru and his inner beast

_blah blah blah : notes from the editor _

**(a/n: blah blah blah) : notes from the author**

**------------------------------------------------(bar line thing)---------------------------------------**

**Sesshomaru's P.O.V.**

She. Was. Dead. This was absolutely inexcusable. The miko wench would pay for her insolence towards this Sesshomaru. I paused as I watched a large demon horse pass overhead. I knew my miko was on it, considering my eardrums were about to burst from her insufferable screaming.

_**My **_**miko, Sesshomaru? Have we finally pulled that pole out of our ass? **

'**Who are you?' **

**It has truly been too long since we talked if you can't even remember who your inner beast is. **

'**And we shall keep it that way. Now leave.'**

**Tut tut. No wonder she ran off. But it was all for the best, was it not Sesshomaru? She made it all the way here, and we were saved the trouble of having to travel with her. Now it is time to remove her from our presence forever. It is only a matter of time before Naraku makes his appearance. **

'**I will not hand her over just yet. There is still another option I have yet to exploit.'**

**What's the matter, Sesshomaru? Why don't you want to give her to Naraku? Is it that you love this girl… perhaps the powerful aura you can feel approaching is changing your mind for you.**

'**I will not give such a powerful being to Naraku. He would twist her to no end.'**

**But why does that bother you? You could easily kill her if that happened. Why not let her try to attack you? Use her as an example to all that you are not to be challenged.**

'… **You will stop psychoanalyzing me and silence yourself. No one has ever dared to challenge me with the exception of Naraku and that half-breed, and they have paid for it dearly.'**

**Except for this girl… it would seem she has yet to feel your wrath.**

'**She is about to.' ** I turned my attention to the figure that had just skidded around the tree and stopped dead at the sight of me.

**-------------------------------------------------(bar line thing)--------------------------------------**

**Kagome's P.O.V.**

Shit! Crap! Damn it! I was going to die! There were still so many things I wanted to do, to see, to live through! And the feeling of Sesshomaru running me through with his claws was not one of them! I swear the entire forest went silent.

"Um, well, fancy seeing you here," I commented with a small laugh, feeling sick. Oh, god. "How was your tri-" Sesshomaru suddenly shooting across the space between us cut me off. I didn't have time to think, so I hit the dirt as his poison whip _whoosh_ed over me. Holy shit. I looked up to see him observing me from a few feet away. Then he pulled out Tenseiga (sp?) and pointed it at me.

"Stand up wench. I wish to educate you in swordsmanship." I gaped at him? Educate me? With a real sword?

"But what if I miss or something and you run me through?" I squeaked. A small smirk twisted his mouth.

"Then you will know you made a mistake." Oh god, oh god, oh god.

"What am I supposed to use as a sword- oh," I stopped as I noticed that I was still clutching Hiroki's katana. Ignoring the fact that Sesshomaru was looking at me as if wondering about my sanity, I pulled the blade out to examine it. I suppose as far as swords go, it was nice. It had been sharpened to a deadly edge, and I was at lease able to manage the weight. But…

I looked from Sesshomaru and his sword to mine. It was a nice sword, but in my hands, I might as well we swinging around a club. Sesshomaru had every advantage in this, and he knew it, the prick. Okay, deep breathes. There had to be something I had that he didn't. That made me grin. I had one helluva advantage over this ass. He must have noticed my grin, because his eyes narrowed and he shifted to balance his weight.

"All right, Sesshomaru-_sama_," I said, mocking the honorary slightly. But then I shut up because his eyes were now slits, and even though I might have an advantage, he was still a much better swordsman than I could ever hope to be. Slinging my bow over my shoulder, I threw the katana's sheath to the ground and raised the sword, gripping it tightly with both hands. Sesshomaru's eyebrow rose at my boldness. Apparently I was supposed to have started groveling a while ago.

"Let us begin," was the quiet answer before Sesshomaru brought Tenseiga down in an arc in an attempt to split my head in two. I used one hand to brace the katana by the end of the blade and held it in front of me. My arms buckled slightly when Tenseiga connected with it. Sesshomaru began pushing against the sword, forcing me to begin sliding a few inches. I pushed back as hard as I could and was able to free my blade long enough for me to roll to the side and therefore avoid the next thrust that Sesshomaru aimed at me.

This was defiantly getting a little over my head. Sesshomaru's speed was making almost impossible to keep up and it was only a matter of time before I slipped up. I just needed some sort distraction to give me a minute to change. I glanced around, but nothing came to me. I turned just in time to bend backwards to avoid Sesshomaru's sword, and I heard a sickening crack. Damn damn damn. 'Come on Kagome, you need a plan, and fast,' I thought. 'Damn Hiroki's blade, why'd the thing have to be so-' Wait… _Hiroki's_ blade.

'_Hiroki, need you to come distract this guy for me!' _

'_For how long?' _I could already feel the aura from the well coming towards me, so it must have been his. The moment I took to feel his aura was all Sesshomaru needed to knock the blade from my hand and send it flying to the other side of the clearing, where it buried itself in the ground, handle up.

'_I just need a minute. I have your sword here, just __**move it**__!' _I almost yelled at him through our connection, Sesshomaru was now leaning over me; Tenseiga buried in the Tree of Ages, upon I was backed up against. I could see my face reflected in the blade only an inch or so from my face. I was pale and a sheen of sweat covered my face.

Suddenly I could see a figure coming from behind Sesshomaru, something Sesshomaru was aware of. He turned, pulling Tenseiga out of the tree in one deft movement. Hiroki was standing by the tree line, taking in the situation with narrowed eyes. His gaze went from me to the deep cut in the tree behind me, to Sesshomaru's sword, to Sesshomaru himself. For a moment, nobody moved as Sesshomaru and Hiroki observed each other, then Hiroki, without taking his gaze from Sesshomaru, reached out and pulled his katana from the dirt and held it up in a mute challenge. What the demon lord did next completely surprised both Hiroki and me.

He moved to stand in front of me, blocking me from Hiroki's line of vision. He, Sesshomaru, Lord of the Western Lands, was protecting me. But I had absolutely no time to ponder that. Hiroki was a strong demon, but he wouldn't be able to stand up to Sesshomaru for long. As they began circling each other, occasionally coming in to clash sword, I slipped behind the tree I'd been leaning against. Gripping the bow, which was still slung over my shoulder, I concentrated on my demonic form. There was a thrum of acknowledgement from the bow, and a moment later, I could almost smell what was happening on the other side of Goshinkibu.

There was the smell of sweat coming from both of them, but the stench of worry came from Hiroki. It was apparent he now knew that he wouldn't be able to hold his own against Sesshomaru for much longer. Sesshomaru was giving off the scent of indifference and boredom. Even in his mind he was an asshole! Deciding it was time to end this, I used my demonic speed to race to Hiroki, who was now on his back, Sesshomaru about to gut him. I raised my bow across my face, depending on its power to shield me and Hiroki from Tenseiga.

If Sesshomaru realized I was there, he didn't show it until Tenseiga connected with my bow and was thrown back. His eyebrow rose delicately, but his scent gave away so much more. Confusion, anger, curiosity, but not a hint of recognition. He stepped back for a moment to reassess. It wasn't until his eyes landed on my bow that he realized who I was.

"Wench, what do you think you are doing?"

**I know! It's so short, but I promise the next one will be super long. I've been really busy lately, so I'm really sorry about that! Anyway, REVIEW!!! Please, let's have some variety too, the same people have been reviewing (thank you, again!) but everyone else is just being a stick in the mud. Come on!!! I NEED SOME FEEDBACK PEOPLE!!! Thanks again to everyone for giving this fic a chance, I love you all!!!!!!!!**


	7. Conclusions Are Drawn

**Oh ::sobs:: my ::sobs:: god ::breaks down completely and pulls readers into group hug:: THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH!!! I'm so glad you like the story::continues sobbing as readers attempt to escape strangle-hold:: I love you all! Thank you so VERY much for the reviews, to old and new reviewers. It means so much to me that you would take the time to write them. Now then ::with obvious attempt, pulls self together and releases relieved readers:: I think it is time I paid back your loyalty with another chapter! Yay! A super-long chapter! YAY!!!! Oh, I hope I didn't do too badly on trying Sesshy's P.O.V. I'll wait and see what u guys think about it before I try it again, even if it was only a few paragraphs. Now that I'm armed with Oreos, on with the story!!**

'_blah blah blah' _: conversations between Hiroki and Kagome

**blah blah blah **: conversations between Sesshomaru and his inner beast

_blah blah blah : notes from the editor _

**(a/n: blah blah blah) : notes from the author**

**---------------------------------------------(bar line thing)------------------------------------------**

**Kagome's P.O.V.**

I stared up at Sesshomaru with a defiant expression. Now that we were on even ground, I was ready to fight.

"You can't just walk off in the middle of a fight! You were fighting me, so stop getting distracted. I could see him hesitate, as well as smell it. "What's the matter, Sesshomaru? You're not _scared _are you?" I taunted, I knew I'd struck a nerve. Sesshomaru's face hardened into an unreadable mask and suddenly I couldn't smell his emotions anywhere. The bastard was suppressing his aura! I took the katana from Hiroki and held it in front of me, returning my bow to my shoulder. A small voice in the back of my mind was telling me to have some self-preservation, but the adrenaline of being in my demon form had gone to my head.

I leapt forward, bringing my sword down in a side-arc, which Sesshomaru parried easily. For a moment, we simply exchanged small blows like that, one of us thrusting, the other parrying. But I quickly got bored of this. It was like when my brother had begged me to sword fight with him, but he didn't know any moves. So we'd just clashed our sticks together for a few minutes before one of us got hit on the fingers and dropped… the… sword… yes, _that _was what I had to do. If I could get him to drop the sword, I would have enough time to pin him!

Leaping over him, I watched as if in slow motion, as Sesshomaru turned with a swift thrust that should have taken my head off had I still been standing there. But I had moved to the left and aimed for his hands with a short jab. Sesshomaru knocked my katana away, so I used the momentum in an attempt to block his next attack, but I wasn't fast enough.

Sesshomaru landed the first blood-drawing blow.

It wasn't a bad one, merely a cut that would heal in a minute, but it still pissed me off that the prick was winning. I used the moment between the blow and his recovery to my advantage.

I landed the second one.

Now we stood a few feet apart, each in our own thoughts as we circled each other, observing. But apparently Sesshomaru had decided to end it. He charged at me, and even though I blocked it, his weight was enough for him to slam me into Goshinkibu, none too gently. As soon as I was pinned, his clawed hand went to my throat. A sudden wave of déjà vu hit me.

"Admit defeat, woman," he whispered.

"I allow a truce," I replied, knowing it just might get me killed. But I would not let him relish the feeling of victory over me. Even though we both knew I had lost, it would always bite him in the ass that I wouldn't submit to him. But once again, Sesshomaru surprised me. Instead of attempting to choke me or beginning a round of threats and insults that I was fully expecting, he released me. I began to slide to the ground, my legs not prepared to take the sudden weight of my body, but my descent was stopped abruptly as Sesshomaru caught me by the collar of my shirt and hefted me to my feet. Then, sheathing Tenseiga, he turned to face Hiroki.

"Have you any business with us?" he asked in a monotone voice, the kind that, if he were to give any type of speech, would put you to sleep instantly. But, wait, _us_? When had that happened?

Hiroki stood up, from his place on the ground, eyeing Sesshomaru warily. "I am a companion to Kagome," he stated with an air of finality, as if Sesshomaru could try to turn him away, but that it wouldn't work. Sesshomaru turned to look at me with a raised eyebrow for conformation, and I gave him a timid nod. The adrenaline was quickly ebbing away, I was done being Cat Woman. **(a/n: That, for whatever reason, is the first person that came to my mind, don't ask me why.) **_I don't think any of us have any desire to examine the terror that is your mind, Ali _**(a/n: shut up Ashley::attacks::)**

Sesshomaru turned back to Hiroki, his face once again void of all emotion. "You may remain with us, if you wish. You are, however, required to keep an eye on her," he finished, gesturing at me. Wow, that timid attitude was wearing off fast.

"KEEP AN EYE ON ME? WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK I AM, SOME SORT OF TODDLER? YOU ARROGANT PRICK! I'M GOING TO BEAT THE LIVING SHIT OUT OF- AAARRGGHHH!" I let out a shout as someone came from behind me and grabbed me around the waist, effectively trapping my arms. "HIROKI IF YOU DON'T PUT ME DOWN-"

"Woman, silence that incessant screeching," Sesshomaru ordered me in a bored voice. He. Was. Going. To. PAY!!! I immediately stopped struggling, and as predicted, Hiroki allowed me back onto my feet. As soon as he put me down, I marched up to Sesshomaru. He looked down at me with a quirked eyebrow. I smiled up at him as innocently as could. I don't think I was very convincing, because as I leaned over to Sesshomaru's ear, he stiffened considerably. With good reason. I blew gently in his ear, took a deep breath, and told him my exact opinions of his behavior.

"**YOU ARE BEING A JACKASS!!!" **

**Normal P.O.V.**

He was…impressed. Against his will, Sesshomaru was impressed. Usually he would have killed any other demon in a fight almost instantly. But the wench was actually able to hold her own against him. Even if it was only for a few minutes, it was still more then Inuyasha, or any of the others. Well, fighting time at least. Inuyasha had the annoying tendency to span fights out by wasting time with his loud mouth. Kami, what he wouldn't give to be the one to remove that annoying appendage from Inuyasha's face.

He studied the woman who was now walking beside him looking rather disheveled. Her kimono was a mess, what the hell had she been doing to it? The back was all torn out, and it was now covered in dirt from their little… tussle. And her hair had grown… a lot. It was now down to her waist. As the miko reached up to run her fingers through her hair, he noticed her nails had lengthened again and were very sharp. This was the second time he'd seen her like this, the last time being when he'd removed her from the whorehouse.

She was busy listing the things he was not allowed to do when they reached the village. He'd given up on telling her not to presume that she had control over him, but it was either ignored or brought another round of screeching. So he just pretended not to listen.

"-and you will not pin anyone by the throat, and you will not follow Sango and me to the springs, and you will not hurt Inuyasha too seriously, and-" Sesshomaru looked over at her at this point.

"_Too _seriously?" he questioned. She gave an audible sigh and nodded.

"I know that I'll never be able to stop you guys from fighting, so my requirement is that you don't hurt him badly," she said. 'Well, at least she has a bit of common sense,' he thought, until she added, "And blood counts as bad." Well, that was one thought out the window. Suddenly the miko stopped, looking down at the village with a frown.

"There are three noticeable auras down there, but I don't think any of them are Inuyasha. There's a human one, but it's exceptionally strong, so that's Sango, and there's one that has a touch of holiness in them, if you can call Miroku that, and then there's a small one, but it's a demon aura so that must be Shippo. But where's Inu-," she suddenly fell silent looking off to her left. "Oh," she breathed, clenching her teeth while her fists curled. She must have picked up the scent that was coming from that direction. There was the stench of the half-breed and the smell of clay and death, as well as the scent of arousal.

However, the miko did admirably well in keeping her composure. Her face smoothed over into a mask of indifference, and she turned to continue walking towards the village. As Sesshomaru and Hiroki followed behind her, they both noticed how rigid her back was and that her steps were even and measured. Suddenly she whipped around to face Hiroki, and Sesshomaru saw that already her composure was slipping. There were tears in her eyes. But it was what she was doing that confused Sesshomaru.

She nodded at Hiroki and bit her lip. Hiroki opened his arms and took a step forward. The miko flew into them, wrapping her arms around his neck. He didn't make any noise, instead making soothing circles on her back. Sesshomaru watched them with mixed emotions. It thoroughly disgusted him that the miko was unable to control such emotions, but he also felt a tinge of… something. Something that didn't like this other male holding his miko. Then, just a suddenly as it happened, she released Hiroki, smiled, and continued walking. The something Sesshomaru was feeling didn't pass.

**Kagome's P.O.V.**

So. Inuyasha had made his decision. And it wasn't me. 'But,' I told myself reassuringly, 'I'm almost glad he didn't.' I was lying through my mental teeth. _No, _a small voice said_, you wouldn't have wanted to be with him. He's still so immature, you need a man. Or should I say, a demon. After all Sesshomaru-_ 'What???' Where the hell had that come from? I hated- well, maybe that was too strong of a word- wait, no! Hate was the perfect word. I HATED Sesshomaru. Didn't I?

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**And now, a word from our sponsors::man walks onto stage with a briefcase and is immediately strangled by frustrated readers:: HAHA! Stupid lawyer, I told you to stay away! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Now that that's taken care of, on with the story!**

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**Kagome's P.O.V. (continued)**

It's funny how easily voices carry sometimes. Like when you turn up the speakers in your kitchen so that you can sing along, completely unaware that everyone in the neighborhood can hear. That's what was happening at the hut where Sango, Miroku, and Shippo were. As all of us approached the edge of the village, we could hear shouting off in the distance. When we got nearer to the hut, we noticed that all the villagers were pointedly avoiding that area. A small distance later we found out why.

Sango's voice could be heard very clearly through the wooden walls of the hut. "I'M GOING TO RIP THAT BASTARDS INNARDS OUT AND SHOVE THEM DOWN THAT BITCHES THROAT! THEN I'M GOING TO CASTRATE HIM AND-" she was suddenly cut off by a masculine murmuring. There was a wonderful moment of silence for a minute, then roared, "IT DOESN'T MATTER! THAT ASS HASN'T EVEN TRIED TO LOOK FOR HER! FOR ALL WE KNOW, KAGOME COULD BE LAYING DEAD IN A DITCH, OR DEAD IN SOME DEMONS STOMACH, OR DEAD IN A LAKE, OR-"

"She could be standing right behind you, very much alive," I finished for her, pushing aside the straw mat door. They all jumped and turned to look at me. Miroku's mouth had dropped open, Shippo's eyes were almost too big for his head, and Sango's lip was quivering. There was a pause, until Sango pulled herself back together… so to speak.

"OH MY GOD, KAGOME!" she shot across the room and captured me in a stranglehold, sobbing uncontrollably. Shippo made a leap for my head and almost pushed me right back out the door as he perched there, shouting happily. Miroku was a little more composed, for which I was grateful. I don't think I'd be able to continue standing with Miroku wrapped around my neck with Sango. Instead he walked over calmly, unattached Sango from my neck and said,

"Kagome, we are so glad you've returned to us," his violet eyes sparkling. Sango looked at me with tear-filled eyes from her place in Miroku's arms.

"W-we were worried that you had d-died," she whispered, wiping her eyes. Shippo suddenly scowled.

"Inutrasha kept saying that's we'd look for you later, but every time we brought it up, he just changed the subject. We were about to leave to go find you ourselves," he added. I looked around and noticed that everything was packed up, including my yellow backpack, to which were strapped my bow and arrows. "We were packing your stuff too for when we found you," he added confidently. I smiled up at him and pulled him into my arms for a hug. Sango suddenly tensed up.

"Someone's outside," she whispered, reaching for her Hiraikotsu. I gave a start, but then realized whom she was talking about.

"Oh, don't worry. It's just a friend…eh… or two. They helped me get here." I walked over to the door and stuck my head out.

"Hiroki, Prick, you guys can come in. I promise us females are done crying," I added at Hiroki's hesitation. As soon as I made that fact known, Hiroki seemed a bit more eager. He pushed the straw flap aside and stepped inside, rocking on the balls of his feet. Sango walked over to my side.

"Who's he?" she whispered, looking over at the demon as Miroku walked up to introduce himself. We watched for a moment as Shippo seemed to decide that Hiroki was decent enough. He walked up to him and began questioning him about who he was, why he knew me, etcetera.

"His name is Hiroki," I whispered back. "He was captured by slave traders from his herd. I met him when they captured me."

"SLAV-" I clapped a hand to her mouth. "Not here," I hissed. "I'll tell you about it later at the hot springs." Sango nodded and walked over to meet Hiroki herself. Instead, Miroku walked over to me.

"Why did you call him a prick? He seems like a very likable person," he questioned, looking confused. I gasped as I remembered the third member of my recent entourage.

"Oh, that's right! I forgot about him!" I ran over to the door and shouted, "Sesshomaru, stop being an arrogant jerk and get your ass in here!" There was suddenly silence from the hut. Everyone froze at the sound of Inuyasha's half-brother's name. I sighed angrily when no Sesshomaru appeared.

"If you don't come here right now, I will scream to high heaven!" I warned. Still no one. "One, two, three!" I took a deep breath and was suddenly attacked from behind. A large mass had rammed into me, and something suspiciously like an arm was wrapped around my head. I let out a muffled shout from the crook of Sesshomaru's elbow as he held me drawn to his chest so that my back was pressed firmly against him.

"Don't you dare," he whispered.

"Iwe cwent bwefth, yev kfek!" I told him, using precious air in the process. His fluff thing was beginning to smother me. He looked down at me with a slight frown before moving his arm to around my waist.

"Did you say something, miko?" he asked politely, as if what he'd been doing was perfectly acceptable and was wondering why I had any issues with it.

"I said, I can't breathe you jerk," I huffed, taking deep breaths. Honestly. "That feathery boa of yours almost killed me." His frown deepened.

"It is not a boa, miko. It is my tail. And from now on, do not presume that I will come when you call for me. I am not your dog, wench." Thankfully, Sango running out of the hut to see what had become of me interrupted his lecture.

"Oh, Sango, thank go you are here! Sesshomaru was complaining, and the drone of his voice put me in danger of falling asleep!" I said, feigning concern. Sesshomaru's grip around me tightened in warning.

"Um, Kagome? I think it's time we go to the hot springs," she informed me, her eyes going from me to the arm around my waist and gripping the soap from my bag. I blushed and immediately attempted to remove myself from Sesshomaru's side. However, Sesshomaru, damn him, seemed to be enjoying my mortification. He didn't even blink an eye, and his arm didn't budge. Instead, he leaned down and pressed his face into the crook of my neck, nuzzling it. I froze, completely confused. What the hell?

"Have a pleasant bathe, miko," he whispered. Then he suddenly released me and walked towards the hut for reasons I can only guess. Sango and I exchanged looks then we both turned and made a run for the hot springs.

**Normal P.O.V.**

Sesshomaru walked back towards the hut in a very good mood. The miko's behavior was quite entertaining. He'd enjoyed her display when he nuzzled her neck. In fact, he thought, frowning, maybe he'd enjoyed it a little _too _much.

**All right, end of chapter 7! Next time we get to meet Inuyasha and Kikyo! Everyone loves confrontation scenes! Once again, thank you so much everyone::throws cookies to everyone, courtesy of the Dark Side:: But now the happiness must come to an end so that I can set a deadline: 20 REVIEWS! Can you handle the pressure! Love to everyone! Ciao.**


	8. IMPORTANT NOTE FROM AUTHOR!

**IMPORTANT AUTHOR'S NOTE!!!!**

Hey everyone! Thank you so much for all the heart warming reviews! I'm so sorry that it's taking me so long for the next chapter, but I'm really busy with working with the Pittsburgh Symphony, my concert is on Thursday, so I'll be there everyday, until then. I promise I'm still working on the next chapter, but it's going slower than usual. Thank you all for sticking with me for this long! Also, I've set up a C2 for SesshyxKags fics, so if you know any good ones, tell me about them!!! Thanks so much everyone, and wish me luck! Ciao!!

**Opresiminya **


	9. A Discovery Is Made ch 8 now ch 9

**OH MY GOSH!!! IMSORRYIMSORRYIMSORRYIMSORRYIMSORRYIMSORRYIMSORRYIMSORRYIMSORRYIMSORRYIMSORRYIMSORRYIMSORRYIMSORRYIMSORRYIMSORRYIMSORRYIMSORRYIMSORRYIMSORRYIMSORRYIMSORRYIMSORRYIMSORRYIMSORRYIMSORRYIMSORRYIMSORRYIMSORRYIMSORRYIMSORRYIMSORRYIMSORRYIMSORRYIMSORRYIMSORRYIMSORRYIMSORRYIMSORRYIMSORRY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It took me a ridiculously long time to get everyone this chapter, so I don't blame you if you let your rage flow! I deserve it, and I feel absolutely awful::bows profusely:: but…..I'm so glad you guys like the story so far! Hurrah! And, the lawyer is dead, thanks to all you lover-ly readers!:D Now then, on with the story……………………………… oh, and I've also set up a C2 community for SesshyxKags stories, so if you guys know any good ones, tell me!! They can be yours!**

'_blah blah blah' _: conversations between Hiroki and Kagome

**blah blah blah **: conversations between Sesshomaru and his inner beast

_blah blah blah : notes from the editor _

**(a/n: blah blah blah) : notes from the author**

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**Kagome's P.O.V.**

I rubbed the bruise forming on my arm where Sango had dragged me to the hot spring.

"Well?" she asked excitedly. I turned to face her with a false look of relief.

"Well, it looks like there will be a bruise, but other than that, no harm done," I told her reassuringly, even though I was rolling my eyes. She scowled at me as we began to undress.

"That's not what I meant and you know it. What was _that_ about?" she said impatiently. I could only assume she meant the fact that she'd walked out of the hut we were staying at to find me in Sesshomaru's arms… well, arm with his face buried in my neck. No doubt she was expecting some sort of romantic meeting. In reality, he was going to smother me if it meant keeping me from screaming.

"He was just trying to shut me up," I told her, walking over to the edge of the spring and dipping my foot in. I turned to look back at her and let out a shriek, as she suddenly appeared inches away from my face. With much foolish waving and a short shriek, I fell backwards into the spring, narrowly avoiding hitting my head of the rocks. When I resurfaced, Sango was sitting beside me, patiently waiting for me to appear. As soon as I did, she grabbed me and placed me across from her.

"Considering it's Sesshomaru, I'm sure he'd be able to think of much more… effective ways of silencing you," she commented thoughtfully. I eyed her, not really sure if she meant gutting me, or something way more perverted by 'effective'.

"Well, he can't really hurt me. He'd only end up hurting himself, and even he's not that stupid… or is he?" I added for my benefit. Sango just shook her head, looking confused.

"Why wouldn't he hurt you? You guys aren't exactly cordial, and you're not mates or," she suddenly broke off, her mouth hanging open while she ogled something. I turned, looking for what she was staring at, but found nothing. Concluding that she was gaping at me, I asked,

"What?"

"Kagome… what's on your neck?" she asked in what was supposed to be a controlled voice, but it was shaking slightly.

"Ummmm…" I delayed; trying to remember if I could pull of saying it was a tattoo. My heart sank as I remembered I'd told her that you couldn't get one until you were at least eighteen. Shit, that mean I had to tell her the truth.

"Well, an alien from outer space appeared and-" I was stopped by the rather alarming shade of purple Sango was turning. "Sango breathe. You're killing brain cells," I told her in a matter-of-fact voice. I was doing all I could to avoid the subject, and pissing Sango off was one way to do it. But sadly, she was so easily deterred.

"Is that a Mate's Mark?" she asked quietly, staring at it with a wary looking on her face, as if expecting to suddenly shoot sparks at her.

"No!" I said defensively, reaching up to run my fingers over the scar-like tissue there. "It's a branding mark, I'll have you know! And I-"

"Is it Hiroki's?" she interrupted. That was unexpected enough to have me swallow wrong and choke. Sango watched me closely as I took a large gulp of air, my hand massaging my throat.

"God, no!" I replied, wondering whose arse she'd pulled that out of.

"SO IT _**IS**_ SESSHOMARU'S!" Sango shrieked, causing me to jump. She leapt forward and grasped me tightly by the shoulders. "ARE YOU MAD??? HE HATES HUMANS! WHAT DID YOU DO TO HIM! YOU PROMISED ME YOU'D KEEP THOSE DRUGS YOUR ERA HAS OUT OF YOUR LIFE!! WHY WOULD YOU GO AND GIVE THEM TO SESSHOMARU! KAGOME-" I cut her of by sticking a bar of soap in her mouth. As she coughed and spluttered, spitting the sanitizing bar out into her hand, I decided to take up my part of the conversation.

"I did not give him drugs! I have no clue what happened to him. We met under a rather… awkward situation, and he agreed to let me travel with him until I reached you guys, and one night he and I got in a… disagreement, even though I have no idea what the hell I did wrong. He really wouldn't have these sorts of problems if he would just explain things, he's such a-" I stopped as I realized I was getting a bit off track, then tried again.

"Anyways, he just sort of lost control, and it got out of control, and so now we're stuck together and he can figure out how to remove the branding mark. I can't believe you thought it would be Hiroki's!" I added. "He's more of a brother to me that a lover." Sango sat back with a rather awed expression, digesting all this information. After a moment though, she sat up with a rather business like air about her.

"So how does he plan to remove it?" she asked. "I've never heard of anyone removing their mark before. That's why arranged marriages among demons are so binding. You can't undo it." Her eyes suddenly widened and she whispered fearfully, "What if he can't get it off?" I scoffed at the idea, not willing to let her see my uneasiness. The idea of Sesshomaru not being able to remove the mark was absolutely… ridiculous. But, strangely enough, I didn't seem as troubled by it as Sango was.

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**Normal P.O.V.**

Sesshomaru allowed a small smile to creep across his lips before he regained his composure. Listening to the miko's friend pump her for information was quite entertaining. He felt that they owed him this small bit of amusement since he'd been dragged towards the springs from his place in a tree nearby at the sound of the miko's short screech when she'd fallen into the pool. Hearing what they'd been talking about, he'd suppressed his aura before coming closer and had settled behind a large tree.

The smile was wiped off his face almost immediately as the slayer the miko was with started shrieking… again.

"-DON'T SEEM TO BE TO WORRIED ABOUT IT! WHAT IF YOU'RE STUCK WITH HIM?" could be heard for miles around, and then a quieter sigh followed it.

"Sango, relax. It's not like it would be such a terr-"

"YES IT WOULD BE TERRIBLE! It's _Sesshomaru_ we're talking about!"

"And what would be so terrible about it," came the miko's voice, the sound of a challenge rather obvious. "We've been through this, he can't hurt me, he can't abandon me anywhere, and he can't cheat on me without our mutual agreement. I don't see what the problem is."

"The problem, Kagome, is that you don't seem to have any qualms with staying with him. What about the jewel shards? What about Inuyasha? What about us?" a pleading tone came into the demon slayers voice.

"Of course I would keep looking for the jewel shards with all of you! Sango, you're like my sister, I would never leave you! And… Inuyasha's chosen a path that I can't be a part of. His devotion to Kikyo is something that I can't break through, so I can only hope that I'll find something like that someday." She said it with an airy tone, but Sesshomaru could feel sadness permeating her aura.

The slayer must have seen it too, because there was a swishing of water, then, "Sango, you're squeezing too hard! I can't breathe! Really, it's o-" She stopped abruptly. A small whispering reached Sesshomaru's ears instead, and he strained his hearing to make out the words.

"Sango. What I am about to show you is something that you've never seen before, and you must promise, _promise me Sango_, that you will not scream or try to run in any way. I need to protect us." Then she was gone. Sesshomaru leapt to his feet, gripping Tokijin and searching for a foreign aura, along with the miko's. Hers was missing as well. But there was no foreign aura, and they couldn't be suppressing it, for he was much stronger than they. He'd be able to break that protection without thinking. Which meant… oh shit. The miko had sensed him. But that would mean she would at least have to be his equal. Finally the need to identify the situation overpowered him and he whipped into the clearing.

The demon slayer was wrapped in a towel and curled up in the arms of a beautiful being, who was giving off such a light it was difficult to see. The being had long, white wings, which were encircling the two in a need to give protection. Long white hair was whipping in a non-existent wind, and one of the long-clawed hands was gripping the miko's bow that she'd formed. Sesshomaru stared into her face, trying to peer through the light, and, as it subsided, he realized how familiar the being face looked. Albeit the white hair pupil-less eyes, it could have been Kagome. He would know if she would release her aura and let him familiarize the scent. Overall, it was a dream-like moment as the being and Sesshomaru watched each other from across the hot spring, the silence only punctuated by the slayer's small gasp of wonder, as she looked up at her protector in silent awe and confusion. The being's attention, however, was focused on Sesshomaru. Her eyes were missing any sort of color, just a blank white as she stared at him. Then her brow furrowed and as he watched, she seemed to fight for control as the brown of the miko's eyes emerged. Then, letting out a sigh of relief, she whispered, "Oh, it's just you," then collapsed.

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**Kagome's P.O.V.**

When I woke up, I had absolutely no idea where I was as my view was being blocked by three heads, and someone's arms restrained me around my waist. The three heads were Sango, Shippo, and Hiroki. Glancing around, I saw Miroku lying in the corner with a large bump on his head and a handprint on his face, unconscious.

Sango let out a sign of relief when she was my eyes open. "Thank the Kami. We weren't sure what had happened to you, and we couldn't find any spare clothes, so Sesshomaru lent you his haori," she added, and I let out a moan. I was in his clothes _again_. Now Shippo took up the narration.

"And then he helped Sango carry you back to the hut, and it's been a couple of hours, and you had _wings _Kagome!" he finished, as if I wouldn't know already. I could feel then curled up inside my back, waiting to be unleashed again. I must have used up all my energy and changed back to a human. But then a new, much less welcome voice joined the conversation.

"Do you think you could finish this story somewhere that's not on my lap," came Sesshomaru, and I looked around to realize that it was his arms encircling my waist. His golden eyes stared me down and he quirked an eyebrow. I quickly scrambled to get out of his lap, and Sango pulled me up by the hands. She was now dressed in her usual kimono and was holding my bow.

"I picked this up after we'd brought you back here," she told me, handing it over. "Come on, I'll help you get your sleeping bag set up." As we walked over to my bag, she nudged me, whispering as we bent down, "You've been in his lap since we brought you back." My face heated, and she smiled.

"Are you serious? Why didn't you put me somewhere else," I asked her fervently, wondering if she'd done it on purpose.

"He wouldn't let us! Every time we got near you, he'd start snarling! Hiroki was getting pretty mad, he wanted to make sure you were okay, and Sesshomaru almost took his head off with that poison whip!" she replied, shaking her head slightly. "He's almost as bad as Inuyasha, isn't he? Where is that jerk anyways?"

I concentrated on the knot in the string that held my sleeping bag closed. Sango watched my face as I finally got frustrated and cut the thin rope with my claws. Finally I said, "I told you Sango, he's gone somewhere that I can't follow him. And I'm not to sure that I want to."

"Whaddya mean?"

"I mean, maybe we just weren't right for each other. Maybe we were just time fillers to each other. Someone to fill the emptiness. But now he's found that Kikyo is the person who's right for him, and I respect him for putting everything aside for love. It's something I'd want my lover to be able to do, to say that it doesn't matter what others want or think, because I'm more important than that. Do you understand that?" I asked her, turning to look her full in the face. She gave me a small smile and nodded.

"Yes. That's what I'd want Miroku to be able to do. To say that I'm more important than the others and that he'd put aside his perverted ways for me. But for now," she turned to slap away the hand of the now-conscious Miroku that had been creeping towards her backside. "I'll just have to wait."

We finished setting up the beds for everyone in silence, for the most part. Hiroki and I had a brief conversation as I assured him that I was fine, and Sango was forced to strangle Miroku with what was left of my kimono when he went to far and tried to reach up hers. Sesshomaru stayed silent the whole time, his eyes following my every motion with his eyes. The only time he moved was when almost everyone was asleep, and I was very close. He stood silently and came to sit by the top of my head, a clawed hand reaching out to brush the hair out of my face protectively.

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**Okay, everyone, chapter…. Nine I guess is finito! I won't set any review requirements or anything, because I think I've definatly used up all my favors when it took me so long to get this chapter posted. So please review, but I won't set an amount. I'm sorry it's so short, too. I honestly deserved your anger, but it you do review, tell me how you think the relationships are going. Am I moving them too fast or too slow? Anyways, thanks for your patience everyone, and Ciao!**


	10. Confrontations and Decisions

**Yay! Another chapter! I still feel super bad about how long it took me to write this, so I'm posting this as soon as I can. My internet is being retarded. Anyway, after I posted last chapter, I realized that was supposed to be where they met Inuyasha and Kikyo, and I can't believe I forgot that ::smacks head:: so here is the long awaited confrontation! Yay! **

**WARNING: KIKYO BASHING AHEAD AT SOME POINT! IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT, THEN DON'T READ!**

'_blah blah blah' _: conversations between Hiroki and Kagome

**blah blah blah **: conversations between Sesshomaru and his inner beast

_blah blah blah : notes from the editor _

**(a/n: blah blah blah) : notes from the author**

**------------------------------------(bar line thing)---------------------------------**

**Kagome's P.O.V.**

Who knew Sesshomaru and Inuyasha were so alike? Honestly, neither of them can stand any sort of damage to their ego. Then next morning, I'd woken up before the others from a sudden lack of warmth at the top of my head. Looking up, I was just in time to see the mat door swing closed and a flash of silver hair. I climbed quietly out of my sleeping bag and followed Sesshomaru out of the hut, yawning widely. Why the hell would anyone want to get up this early? It was the freaking' ass crack of dawn, for Kami's sake.

Sesshomaru was heading for the clearing by the well, and I could see the back of his back gleaming in the sunlight (since I was still wearing his shirt). Even though he was disturbingly pale, his back was firmly muscled and seemed to glow. I shook my head in an effort to clear my head of these thoughts and concentrated on why he was unsheathing his swords. I expanded my aura, but couldn't detect anything remotely threatening. It was when we reached the clearing and I'd perched on a nearby rock that his reasoning became clear.

For a moment, I thought he'd started some sort of interpretive dance, if you're supposed to be trying to communicate that your audience is about to die. Then I realized he was going through sword exercises. All his forms blended together so that I couldn't tell where one ended and another began, while his sword reflected the morning sun. The forms were clearly advanced, and he moved with a powerful feline grace, a compliment that would probably get me maimed were I to speak it. I probably watched him for a good hour or so, lost in the deadly beauty of his movements. When he finally stopped, Sesshomaru was drenched with sweat, which ran down his chest.

Suddenly, my mental drooling was interrupted by his voice. "I think I've proved my point." I looked up at his face to see him gazing down at me with an amused expression. I hefted my mouth off the ground and asked,

"And what was your point," I asked, not liking how much I approved of his sculpted chest.

"That I am an accomplished swordsman, something which is not something to be taken lightly," he told me, with what looked, to me, like a miffed expression.

"What are you talking about? I already knew you were good, what was the point of dragging me up here?" I questioned, completely lost at this point.

"For one thing, I don't believe I _dragged_ you, Miko, you came of your own free will, just as I thought you would," he replied, then, ignoring my indignant hiss, continued, "and I am talking about you little comment from last night." I searched my memory, but I'd been exhausted, so my thoughts were hazy.

"I can't recall. Refresh my memory for me."

"'_Oh, it's just you._' Miko, I could slaughter you right here before you could even twitch," he said through slightly clenched teeth. I stared at him. He was griping over _that_? I wasn't in the mood for his bruised ego. So I responded with a suitable action.

**Normal P.O.V.**

Sesshomaru watched in confusion as the miko suddenly fell backwards off her rock and hit the ground, clutching at her throat and spluttering. Sesshomaru took a step or two forward and was slightly alarmed at the color ranger her face was going through. But his worry melted away as she coughed out her next words.

"Not(cough) enough room (splutter) for huge (hack)… ego! Testosterone (ack!) choking me!" she gasped, then sat up and glared at him. "Is that all? If you're waiting for me to sink to my knees and let forth a torrent of praise and admiration, then you can forget it. You're ego's inflated enough without my adding to it."

With that, she stood and grabbed his wrist and began tugging him towards the woods. Sesshomaru didn't move, but instead watched her feeble attempts to make him move with mixed annoyance and amusement.

"Miko." She turned and put her hands on her hips.

"What, demon?"

"You are pulling me in the complete opposite of the village. The hut is behind us," he told her, wondering how it was possible to not know the path back the village she'd been walking to for Kami knows how long. But she just rolled her eyes while wiping her hands on his haori.

"I'm aware of where the village is. I'm taking you to the hot springs. In case you haven't noticed, the plants around you are beginning to droop. You absolutely reek."

**Kagome's P.O.V.**

"Picky picky," I muttered under my breath as I walked back to the hut. When Sesshomaru had finally agreed to take a bath, I'd gone back to the village and gotten all my bath things along with a towel. After putting the towel on the edge of the hot spring, I'd offered him the different shampoo, which he examined at great length before demanding what it was and if it was edible. Then he'd snarled at me for commenting on how the last part of his comment sounded just like Inuyasha. After I finished dumping a large bottle of lavender-scented soap on him to shut him up, he treated me to a few rather inappropriate words, and then told me to leave so that he could have his privacy.

A wide grin spread across my face as I looked down at the pile of clothes in my arms. Sango was walking out of the hut and caught a glance at the bundle.

"Is that what I think it is?"

"Yep."

"He's gonna skin you. You do know that right?" she said, shaking her head, but her expression mirrored mine.

"Hmm, probably. But to do that, he's going to have to come find me. Which means leaving the shelter of the hot springs," I informed her, before collapsing into a fit of giggles. Sango soon joined me on the ground, both of us helpless with laughter. Hiroki appeared at the doorway to the hut and opened his mouth to ask, spotted the stolen clothes, and turned right back around and walked back in. There was a murmur of two male voices, then Hiroki and Miroku emerged from the hut.

"Miroku and I have some business to attend to on the other side of the village, so… we'll be seeing you!" and with that, Miroku and Hiroki shot off in the opposite direction of the hot springs.

"WHAT ABOUT COURAGE AND CHIVALRY?" I called after them.

"WE HAVE MUCH MORE RESPECT FOR SELF-PRESERVATION!" returned Miroku, before they were obscured from view by a hill. The roar that shattered the general silence was enough to have both Sango and me ready to follow the guys.

"**WENCH!**" echoed over the village. I grabbed Sango's arm.

"Okay, we're going to hide in the hut. I'll cover our auras and such, so all we'll have to do is make sure he can't see us. We'll be practically invisible!" I assured her. She was looking rather pale and the giggle that escaped her sounded hysterical. But she nodded.

I tugged her into the hut and covered her and myself with my bunched up sleeping bag, then tried to do what I had done last night. I imagined two bubbles surrounding Sango's and my person, then imagined them shrinking until they were laying just under our skin, far enough that no one could sense us. It wasn't until I heard the swift gait and felt the pulsing aura of Sesshomaru that I realized that covering our aura wouldn't mask our scent… which led right to our hiding spot.

Fuck. Why had I done this again? Oh, because Sesshomaru was being a prick. Shit shit shit shit shit. Sango gave a terrified twitch next to me. I shifted slightly and saw her eyes squeezed shut while she mouthed prayers to the Kami. Both of us, however, froze when we heard the straw mat being pushed aside. Suddenly, the sleeping bag was wrenched off us and we shrieked in terror at the scene in front of us.

Sesshomaru, who was holding the sleeping bag in his hand, stood over us completely naked. His eyes pinned to me as he attempted to burn a hole through my head with his glare.

"Miko, I desire my clothes."

I threw the bundle of his laundry at him and turned away, clutching Sango as we cowered in the corner. Then a hand reached over and disentangled me from Sango's grip.

"Slayer, I wish to speak to the miko alone. Leave," a now half-clothed Sesshomaru ordered. Sango jumped to her feet and flew out the door.

"TRAITOR!" I screamed after her, but was silenced as Sesshomaru shook me vigorously before pressing me against the wall and leaning over me.

"Miko," he breathed, "that was a very foolish thing to do." He leaned down and licked the inside of my ear while pinning my hips to the wall with his. I let out a small squeak and began squirming against him, but immediately stopped when I heard a rumbling erupt in his chest. He began rocking his hips back and forth against mine and I could feel his hard member through the fabric of his pants and his shirt, which I was still wearing. I reached out to try and push him away, but my arms felt like noodles, which slithered around his neck and pressed me harder against him. My traitorous body was enjoying this. And the thing was, so was I. So was he.

"Sesshomaru," I gasped. I felt him smile against my cheek.

"Hmm?" I cast around for anything that would stop the amazingly pleasurable torture. A hard knot was beginning to form in my lower abdomen, begging to be released, and I knew exactly how I was supposed to achieve that. But I had to make him stop before I lost what was left of my dwindling will to remain pure.

"Someone's coming," I lied, knowing he could probably smell it off me, but to my surprise, he suddenly stopped rocking and looked over his shoulder, though he didn't step back.

"I believe my brother and his bitch have come to pay us a visit," he commented dryly. I jumped at this news before checking myself. Two auras were indeed approaching, and one of them was demonic, while the other was human, but as my aura touched it, it felt chillingly cold and empty of emotion.

I looked at the situation from how it would seem to outsiders. Sesshomaru had me pressed against the wall, half naked. I was wearing nothing but his shirt, and was probably radiating the scent of arousal. SHIT!!! What if Inuyasha found us like this? He'd be so upset, and-

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I needed to toughen up a bit. Inuyasha might be hurt, but he'd made his choice, which made me free to make mine. I was perfectly entitled to be with anyone I wanted to be with, and it was none of Inuyasha's business if it was with his brother or someone he had absolutely no knowledge of.

A small voice in the back of my head told me that it was stupid to be setting myself up for fights. It would only end in tears and blood. It whispered that there was no need to taunt Inuyasha with a nonexistent relationship. A stronger, much louder voice disagreed.

There was a relationship. It may have developed without me realizing it, but there was definitely something. What would I have done if it where anyone else. Inuyasha would have been sat as soon as he walked in naked. I would have never let him get this far. If I'd really wanted to, I had no doubt I could have escaped Sesshomaru.

A movement in front of me brought me back to reality. Sesshomaru had finally released me from his imprisonment, and was walking towards my yellow bag. He searched through it before immerging with pair of cotton Capri pants and a white tank top. He eyed them with curiosity before tossing them to me.

"Put those on. I'd like to be fully clothed when I meet my next victory." I snarled him out of the hut then changed into the clothes, handing him his haori as I walked out the door. He put it on and wrapped it before pulling his armor on over it, which was sitting by the door along with his swords. As he reached almost all the way around his back to attach it, I walked up behind him and knocked his hand away before latching it closed deftly as he wrapped his obi **(a/n: I'm not sure what its called.) **over it and slipped his swords into place. I reached around the doorframe of the hut and grabbed my bow before coming to stand next to him, feeling like I was in some sort of slow motion dream. I spread my aura over the village and felt for Sango, Miroku, Shippo, and Hiroki.

Sango was a few huts away, but was approaching at a run, while Miroku and Hiroki were in the fields, lounging by a fence. Shippo was in the heart of the village playing with the children there. As Sango skidded to a stop next to me, I reached out a mental tendril towards Hiroki.

'_Hiroki, Inuyasha and Kikyo are coming. Can you and Miroku come?'_

'_Yes. We'll be there.' _Their auras began moving towards us, so I closed the link. Inuyasha and Kikyo's auras were approaching quickly; they'd be here in a minute or so. As Miroku and Hiroki arrived, I realized what seemed wrong with this scene. We were all preparing for a battle. Sesshomaru was drawing Tokijin (no surprises there) and Sango was supporting Hiraikotsu. Hiroki's katana was already unsheathed, and Miroku was holding his staff in a battle-ready staff. I was gripping my bow with my left hand while the right reached towards the string so that the bow was ready to be drawn.

Sesshomaru leaned over to whisper in my ear. "Change." I looked at him, confused.

"What?"

"Change into whatever you were last night. You'll never be able to take on that clay bitch in your human form." I frowned at him.

"You don't even know if we'll be fighting," I returned heatedly, but I did as he said. He was, after all, right. If it did come down to a face off, I was definitely the weakest link. Gripping the bow, I let my wings unfurl, then loosened my hold so as to keep from puncturing my hands with newly grown claws. Spreading my wings out in a stretch, I glanced over at Sesshomaru. He was focused on two figures that were emerging on the horizon.

I closed my wings with a snap, rocking on the balls of my feet as Inuyasha and Kikyo approached us. Kikyo was walking to Inuyasha's left, holding his hand in hers. Her face was blank, and her eyes reminded me of onyx stones. Inuyasha's appearance was the same as always, but his expression seemed altered, satisfied. However, shock came to replace it as his eyes found mine, and he stopped dead.

"Kagome?" he whispered. Then he noticed the other member to our troupe. "Sesshomaru," he snarled, pulling Kikyo behind him. Sesshomaru's nose twitched in intense dislike.

"Brother."

"Get the hell away from them, you jackass!" he roared, unsheathing Tetsusaiga as he spoke. Sesshomaru leaned forward expectantly, ready to shoot into a run. I elbowed him as a silent reminder that we were all friends… and that I'd bloody his eardrums if he so much as thrust.

"He's not here to fight you, Inuyasha. We had a… situation, and his presence was required," I said, taking step towards him. "I see you've brought someone," I added, turning towards Kikyo and inclining my head. I did not want to start a battle if I could avoid it. But Kikyo stayed still as a statue, her eyes flashing coldly when I met them. There was a moment of tense silence before it was broken by an unexpected shout.

"INUYASHA, YOU JERK!" A blur of orange was all I could see before Shippo tackled Inuyasha, grabbing him by the head and using the momentum to drag in down. Inuyasha reached up and wrenched Shippo of his face, his teeth bared.

"What the hell was that for, Shippo?" he shouted, shaking Shippo by his tail. The kitsune's arms were crossed and he was glaring angrily at Inuyasha.

"We've been worried sick about you! Not to mention that Kagome just arrived yesterday with _Sesshomaru_ because you were taking your own sweet time to go look for her!" Shippo said, sticking out his tongue. Inuyasha's puppy ears were flattened to his head.

"Look, I had some stuff I needed to take care of, so relax," he snapped. Then he turned to Sesshomaru. "And you've delivered Kagome but you're still here-"

"A cunning observation," Sesshomaru interrupted with a smirk.

"-so what the hell do you want?" he finished, glaring at his older brother. Sesshomaru looked like he was about to say something, but stopped. His small smirk widened slightly, and sheathed his sword. Suddenly I felt an arm winding around my waist. Based on past experiences, I turned as slapped Miroku across the cheek, hard. I realized my mistake when he clutched his face in both hands, moaning.

"Why do you not trust me so, Kagome-chan?" he whined. I looked down and realized that the hand was clawed and exceptionally pale. I looked at Sesshomaru with a raised eyebrow. He looked back at me with amusement and pulled me to his hip when I wrinkled my nose at him. In the five seconds it took for this exchange to take place, Inuyasha had turned an ugly shade of puce.

"GET YOUR FUCKING HANDS OFF HER YOU BASTARD!" he thundered, leaping forward. This was the moment Sesshomaru had been hoping for. His hand surged back to Tokijin, and he parried Inuyasha's Tetsusaiga with ease. Using his weight, Sesshomaru pushed Inuyasha back and made a sweep for his legs that almost maimed him. I drew my bow and aimed for the dirt between their feet. When I released the white bolt of power, Sesshomaru leapt away from the spot, and Inuyasha caught on soon enough to jump back before he was purified to hell.

"You two need to get over yourselves. There is absolutely no reason to be attacking each other. So Inuyasha put you're sword down-"

"What about him?" whined Inuyasha, gesturing at Sesshomaru.

"Sesshomaru you too."

"Do not order me, wench!"

"Shut your mouth you asshole!"

"Be silent half-breed."

"Don't tell me what to do you jack-"

"**ENOUGH**!!!" I roared. "INUYASHA SIT!!" I watched in satisfaction as Inuyasha ate dirt. However, I must give Sesshomaru credit for being creative with such limited choices when it came to making me be quiet. I was definitely not expecting him to stifle my shouting by shoving his tongue down my throat.

**(a/n: OOOoooooooo I am so tempted to leave it here. NO::slaps self:: I promised an epic battle! But it would make a great cliffy… NO! Resist the temptation! I hope you all appreciate what I'm going through for your epic battle!)**

_THAT _certainly shut me up. As he pulled away to face a murderous-looking Inuyasha, I reached up to touch my lips. I stood in a daze for who knows how long before an arrow whizzed past my face, missing by inches. Snapping out of it, I drew my bow, mirroring Kikyo, who was smiling rather manically.

"Kikyo! What are you doing?" came the rather panicked voice of Inuyasha. He ran at Kikyo and made an attempt to grab her arm, but was suddenly thrown backwards as his face met a barrier. The barrier crackled dangerously as he sat back up, rubbing his face as his singed hair smoked slightly.

"Inuyasha! Do you seek to finally betray me? I cannot be who I once was without my entire soul! I wish to possess it again! Will you, my true love, keep as one of the broken undead? With my soul I can be reborn, I can become what I should have been had death not claimed me." **(a/n:……..huh?)**

Inuyasha was on his feet now, and he looked back and forth between Kikyo and me. Then, to my absolute horror, he nodded and turned away from me, abandoning me to the non-existent mercy of Kikyo.

**Okay, I think that should be enough! WE HAVE A BETRAYAL ON OUR HANDS!!! What did you guys think? Too sudden, too cheesy, too OOC? Tell meeeee!!! Thank you so much for all the reviews, everyone! I can't believe I've broken 40 without even asking you. I LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH ::breaks down as readers edge away!!!!!!! Anyway, R&R everyone, Let's go for at least 45. Last I checked, we were at 41, so I think you'll be able to manage. Ciao!!**


	11. Angsty Words Are Exchanged

**OMG! OMG! I WON AN AWARD::waves envelope:: "We, your readers, would like to present Authoress (?) Opresiminya with the "Worst Ever Updater Award-" ... -.- that was mean. No, just kidding. But I would totally deserve that. I'm so sorry for taking so long to update, but a lots been going on and I wasn't quite sure where I wanted to go with this story, but I owe eveyone so much, so i'll do my best. This chapter went through a LOT of editing, so I'm not sure how you'll like it. Butt... On with the long-overdue story!!!!!!!!!**

'_blah blah blah' _: conversations between Hiroki and Kagome

**blah blah blah **: conversations between Sesshomaru and his inner beast

_blah blah blah : notes from the editor _

**(a/n: blah blah blah) : notes from the author**

**------------------------------------(bar line thing)---------------------------------**

**Kagome's P.O.V.**

No. No no no no no. This had to be some kind of sick joke. Inuyasha, who's been through so much with me, who's saved my ass countless times, who's always promised never to leave me, just handed me practically gift-wrapped to Kikyo. No. This wasn't how it was supposed to happen! What the...?

"You... you... you fucking BASTARD!" I screamed at his back. He stiffened, then turned to look at me.

"I... I'm sorry." It came out in barely more than a whisper, which only served to infuriate me further.

"YOU'RE SORRY? REALLY? WELL, THAT FIXES EVERYTHING, THE TRAITOROUS ARSE IS _SORRY_!" I screeched, feeling hysterical. The man who was supposed to protect me to the end was abandoning me! Acting like he hadn't heard anything he continued,

"It's for the best," then turned to face Sesshomaru once again. I spent a fleeting moment wondering why the fluff-ball didn't make himself useful and slaughter Inuyasha, but then decided he was probably too _honorable _to do such a satisfying act why his enemy's back was turned. A mocking laugh pulled my gaze away from Inuyasha. Kikyou was giggling, an pleased smile spread across her face.

"What's the matter, Kagome? You can't have thought he would choose you over me? Please tell me that my reincarnaion was a little more clever than that. You are a cursed being, destined to be alone forever." She began to cirlce me, her voice coming out in a malaveolent hiss. "Why else do you think your kind died out? No one would help them continue their disgusting race, a group of creatures that can't hold their own form, neither human or demon, not even half-bloods. You will never know true love, there is no one willing to show it to you!"

She came to stop in front of me again. Reaching inside her sleve, Kikyo pulled out a tightly bound scroll that glowed with purifying power. I eyed it warily, not liking the sudden eagerness in the bitch's eyes.

"Do you know what this is, Kagome? A demon is concealed in this scroll, and it's usually used as a surprise attack on unsuspecting enemies. When the demon is unleashed, it possesses it's target and uses their shell of a body while slowly devouring them from the inside. A weak person like you would never be able to withstand it, and once it has hold of you, it will be simple to wipe the smear of your existence from this world."

The more she spoke and the more I listened, the more my blood began to boil, almost literally. Kikyo suddenly moved. Breaking the seal, she tossed the scroll which landed right at my feet. It snapped open and a shadow leapt from it. The thing immediatly surrounded me than sank through my skin.

A sudden pressure filled my chest and throat. I fought at it, even attempting to pull it back out with my physical hands. I centered my purifying power so that it pumped through my blood, but nothing could penetrate the deep hatred that the demon radiated. It slithered around my mind, waiting for a chance to swoop down in my moment of weakness.

A sudden, piercing scream distracted me from my internal battle. Sesshomaru had finally repaid Inuyasha for his lost limb. A bloody stub was all that was left of Inuyasha's right arm. Tetsusaiga lay brittle and blood-spattered in the grass next to him. In my momentary lack of concentration, I stopped struggling against the pressure the demon was exerting on my mind. As soon as I did, it wrapped itself around the core of my being, and my vision began to swim as my despair, magnified by a thousand, hit me like a tital wave.

**Sango's P.O.V.**

I watched through my tears as Kagome sank to her knees, clutching her arms. I was pressed against the barrier, reduced to beating it with my fists now that Hirikotsu** (a/n: damn, I lost the paper that had the spelling on it.) **was broken. The barrier had put a long crack down the center when it had struck. Miroku had explain that the barrier was so unbearably pure that even the exorcised demon bone couldn't stand up to it.

The monk himself stood next to me, trying to form seals in order to break the barrier, while Hiroki channeled his demon energy through his sword and stabbed at it, then leapt back when the sword shattered. Shippo burst into tears on my shoulder. Kikyo, the cowardly bitch, let out a short, derisive laugh before finishing her sick speech.

"Now die, mutant of the three realms, and take with you the taint in your blood," she hissed, and released an arrow that glowed to the point of being blinding. Kagome's wings suddenly shot out from her back and she rose 15 feet into the air in order to avoid it. The first one missed, but Kikyo, expecting the move apparently, hit her with a second.

It was a painfully beautiful sight. The arrow struck Kagome in the center of her chest. Her wings, spread behind her, softened her fall, but once hitting the ground, Kagome was still. Her bow remained clutched in her hand. The arrow flared, then dimmed before dying completly, it's job done. Kagome didn't make a sound.

"NNNNOOOOOO!!!" Hiroki let out a shriek that no human could have released. He sank to his knees, breating heavily. Then he looked up, his eyes flaring red. Miroku and I ran over to him and grabbed his arms in an attempt to restrain him. If he ran at the barrier he'd be completly purified. But suddenly he froze. We followed his gaze and gasped.

Kagome's body had started to pulse. The aura it gave off was terrifyingly tainted, not just because of the demon that supposedly still burned within her corpse. It was brimming with a revengeful hate. A sudden realization hit me. Kagome wasn't dead. She couldn't be, or else Sesshomaru would be dead too.

As if he'd suddenly remembered that little detail, Sesshomaru moved away from Inuyasha's twitching and bloody form. Walking to the edge of the barrier, he made a long gash in the side of it using Tokijin. He nimbly steped through the space before it closed behind him. The sword suddenly dimmed signifigantly, it's strenght spent. Sesshomaru resheathed it and moved to stand beside Kagome's body. He unsheathed Tenseiga instead, and moved in front of Kagome's form as she began to shift slightly.

Kikyo seemed to have recovered from her momentary stupor. She fired three sacred arrows at Sesshomaru, which were easily deflected by his sword, batting them away as if they were simply pesky flies.

"Demon, remove yourself from this battle! It is not yours to fight, it is the unwanted one's," Kikyou called out, looking infurated at Sesshomaru's sudden appearence. "Do you defend this insult to human and demon, to the other realms?"

"I do." As if in response, the small moon on Sesshomaru's forehead began to glow, as did Kagome's branding mark.

Kagome sat up. Her nails elongated untill they reached the lenght and sharpness of small dagers. Her eyes glowed yellow, and her wings, once so pure and white, began to stain with black She bared her teeth at Kikyo, and all her teeth were pointed, giving her a feral smile. She grasped the arrow in her chest tightly, pausing for a moment before yanking it out. A small spot of blood stained her shirt before her body rapidly healed itself at a disturbing speed.

Kagome stood, holding the arrow in front of her, examining the blood at the end. She looked over it to meet Kikyo's shocked and horrified eyes before licking the blood off the tip. Once clean, she tossed the arrow aside. Kagome turned to examine the barrier around her, completley ignoring Kikyo and Sesshomaru. Even Inuyasha, who was only feet away from her, didn't distract her.

My possessed sister reached out to touch the barrier. Instead of purifying her, or causing any sort of damage, it began to ripple, like water when disturbed. With each ripple it began to darken into a tainted black. Kikyo shot her last arrow at Kagome. The latter turned and held out her hand, and as the arrow came to meet it, it almost immediatly bled black, before slowly turning to face Kikyo.

"If you are truly as pure as you act, Kikyo, this arrow will not be able to touch you. It thrives of the taint of men, and you, a Priestess, should be able to disintigrate it easily. However, even though you condem me for my tainted soul, I have no doubt that this arrow will pierce you. Shall we put it to the test?" Kikyou took a step back from this new being, someone who could certainly not be Kagome. Not our Kagome, so pure and kind. Miroku seemed to be thinking a long the same lines.

"Kagome! Fight it Kagome, this isn't what you want! Don't let your hate control you, damn it, FIGHT!" he shouted. The black-winged creature looked over at us.

"Foolish humans. Even this Kagome woman couldn't resist the tempation of having her selfish desire fulfilled. The desire every human posesses, to give the pain recieved. While you weak creatures use my skills to carry out your revenge, I am sucking the life from your veins. In the end, the debt owed to this girl will be paid in blood. And this woman," it whispered, turning back to Kikyou, "will be the first to owe up."

Suddenly, the beast using Kagome's shell screamed, falling to her knees and writhing, clawing at her back. At the base of her wings, a ring of white pushed through the black. It began to spread through the wings, washing them clean of the taint as the creatures screams increased. It began to spread at the top of her hair to, purifying it to a snowy white. Her eyes became a mixture of white and yellow as the spirit fought against the real Kagome's soul, while her nails rounded and shrank somewhat. Kagome picked up her bow and aime for a spot a few feet in front of her. Suddenly, a black shadow was forced from her chest and was immediatly pinned with a bolt of white energy. Kagome watched in silence as it gave a last moan and dissapated.

Sesshomaru reached out and put a hand on her shoulder, the most intimate gesture I've ever seen him do (I didn't count that kiss. He'd probably just wanted to piss Inuyasha off). She reached up and put her hand over his, then, not looking away from the charred markings on the ground, called out.

"Kikyo. I can't let you go. You do realize this?" Kikyo reached behind her for another arrow and only grasped air. Suddenly resembling a startled animal, she reached out a hand to collapse her own barrier, then stopped dead. It was still extremely tainted, and not even Kikyo would be able to purify it in time to escape. Kagome raised her bow, and a single tear streamed down her cheek.

"I'm so sorry." Kagome released another bolt of white energy, and it met Kikyo dead on, burrying itself in her chest. For a moment, her face sported a look of shocked disbelief, before her clay body crumbled to ash.

**Kagome's P.O.V.**

Oh. My. God. I just killed Kikyo. I just murdered Inuyasha's lover in cold blood. The wind picked up her ashes and I watched them float away towards the heavens, the glowing souls of those she lived off of following. One of them detatched itslef from the crown and floated towards me. It was much smaller, like it had been broken; the rest of my soul.

When it had settled itself deep in my chest, I turned to look at Inuyasha. He was watching the souls and ashes floating away, tears running down his face. Then he looked away to meet my gaze. A change came over him that I'd only seen when he was fighting Naraku. His eyes became hard amber stones, he bared his teeth, unimaginable hate was etched across his features.

"You... fucking... BITCH!" he shrieked, voice cracking. "You-" a snarl from Sesshomaru interrupted him.

"Leave this place, half-breed. Your bitch is dead."

"Don't tell me what to do, Fluffy. I'm not going anywhere until yours is too!" he shouted, leaping at the barrier. He was immediatly thrown backwards again, letting out a shout of agony when he landed on his jaggedly cut shoulder. It was painful, watching him attack the barrier repeatedly like some sort of crazed animal.

"Kagome." Sesshomaru was bent over my shoulder to reach my ear. "You need to finish him."

"I... I can't. I WON'T!" I was suddenly shouting. The idea of seeing Inuyasha disolve like Kikyo repulsed me. Betrayal or not, I couldn't kill him. He didn't deserve it. Not after what I'd done. After finally having his lover returned to him, after finally putting his life back in order, I'd gone and destroyed it again. And this time she couldn't come back.

If he died, it would be my fault, not his. I drove him to this.

Inuyasha, as if reading my thoughts, called out, "Look what you've forced me to, Kagome. An innocent woman is dead, my arm is gone, the jewel is shattered, all because of you. One by one, you're destroying everyone." And it was true. We all knew it.

"Your bitch was hardly innocent, Inuyasha. Your arm is gone because you are a mediocre fighter, and the jewel is shattered because you failed to protect it from a simple gore crow. You make me sick with your excuses for your failures." Sesshomaru sneered. He turned to look at me. "If you cannot finish him I will," and with that, leapt forward at the barrier.

As soon as his hand met it, the barrier shattered with the force of a bomb, the force moving outward. Hiroki, Miroku, Shippo, and Sango were thrown backwards. Sango landed painfully on her left shoulder and a sickening crunch announced a broken arm. Miroku pulled her to her feet, keeping his weight off a fractured ankle, while Hiroki, who was unscathed, supported him. Sesshomaru was gliding towards Inuyasha, his right hand smoking slightly.

Inuyasha attempted his Blades of Blood, but only sucseeded in wasting valuble escape time. I couldn't let Sesshomaru just kill him. Inuyasha turned and ran into the woods, Sesshomaru on his heels, and I on his. As Inuyasha made his way up the hill towards the well, Sesshomaru landed a glancing blow on his back, helping Inuyasha off his feet and onto his stomach. I took aim and shot an arrow right at Sesshomaru's feet. A sudden wave of nostalgia hit me. Sesshomaru was forced back, and Inuyasha used the time to leap into the well. A soft blue glow announced his departure from the fuedal era.

I pulled my wings close to my body, suddenly feeling very drained and vulnerable. I was... so... HUNGRY god damnit! Fighting an evil spirit was very draining. I turned to face Sesshomaru who glaring at me, obviouslyu pissed that he'd been deprived of killing Inuyasha.

"Sesshomaru?"

"Yes miko?" I walked over and leaned against him, looking up into his amber eyes. Reaching out with my hand, I grabbed him gently around him cock and ran my thumb up and down the length of it. He gave a small jump and stiffened considerably, but didn't pull away. I raised up onto my tip-toes and flicked my tongue lightly along him coller bone before meeting his eyes again.

"Get me some food before I purify your balls to hell."

**SSSoooooooooooo... whaddya think? Review review review ::sings::! Too random, not well written, hard to understand, OOC, just plain shitty? Let me know!!! Thank you all for sticking with me. I hope I made it semi-worth the wait.**


	12. Feelings Are Discovered

**I won't tear up this time ::sniffs:: I WON'T::sniff::... Screw this ::breaks down with loud theatric wails while Ashley beats over head:: You are all so wonderful! I can't believe how patient you are all being. I would have strangled myself ages ago. But anywho, I'm so glad everyone likes it. I've been away from my computer for ages, but your refreshing reviews have reminded and inspired me::sighs:: What would I do without you? **

**WARNING WARNING WARNING WARNING WARNING WARNING WARNING WARNING WARNING **

**CHAPTER MAY CONTAIN A LEMON! I HAVEN'T DECIDED YET!!!**

'_blah blah blah' _: conversations between Hiroki and Kagome

**blah blah blah **: conversations between Sesshomaru and his inner beast

_blah blah blah : notes from the editor _

**(a/n: blah blah blah) : notes from the author**

**------------------------------------(bar line thing)---------------------------------**

**Kagome's P.O.V.**

Food, food, I love love love food! God, I was starving. Sango and I were sitting in a corner of the hut eating a deer that Sesshomaru had caught with some... persuation **(a/n: Did i spell that right? Damn wordpad, no fucking spellcheck)**. Sango and I had just pollished off the lower portion of it within 15 minutes or so. Miroku was lying next to Sango, unconcious, but for once it wasn't for being a pervert. He'd tried to take some of the food and Sango'd had no mercy. Hiroki had been wise enough to keep his distance, and Sesshomaru, being the arrogant prick he was, "Didn't eat alongside humans."

Ass.

Shippo had decided to take Kirara and go for water as an excuse to escape the carnage we were creating. Heh heh. MINE!!!

"Miko." I looked up from my roasted deer leg to look over at Sesshomaru, who was leaning against the wall, looking out at the window cut from the wall across from him. The moonlight lit his features, magnifying his beauty by a thousand-fold. But the words that came out of his mouth next completley destroyed his deceptivly angelic impression.

"If you keep eating like that you are going to get even fatter."

Oh. No. HE. DIDN'T!_oh yes he did!get ready to die a slow and painful death Lord Fluffy-stuff!_

"WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU JUST SAY?" The bone I was holding in my hand cracked as I clenched my fists. I had no other choice. I was going to have to gut him, that was my only option. The image of strangling him with his own intestine gave me a satisfied tingle throughout my body.

"I am quite sure from my observations, Miko, that you are not deaf. I believe you heard my words perfectly," he said, a smirk sliding over his face. Oh, what I wouldn't give to slap it right of his face... NO! Control yourself Kagome- we are strangling him with his intestine!

But one slap couldn't hurt.

I leapt across the room, deer leg in hand, ready to smack him round the face with it. If only I'd remebered that my bag was right behind me, maybe I wouldn't have tripped over it.

**Normal P.O.V**

Sesshomaru froze as the miko recovered from her moment of clumsiness by landing across his lap. However, Kagome didn't seem fazed at all. Sitting up, she quickly ajusted herself so that she was stradling him. Once sure she had effectivly teathered him, she held him against the wall with her left arm and rasied her right, which was armed with a rather large and heavy deer leg.

But of course, who could pay any attention to that? Sesshomaru's gaze was drawn towards the small line of blood along her lips. When he'd brought back the deer, Kagome had tackled him immediatly and bit down into the skinned deer, not realizing it was raw. After much cursing, she'd started a fire and cooked it. But now there was that blood marring the clenliness of her face, and if the woman couldn't do it herself, he'd help her.

Catching her right arm so as to avoid decapitation by a deer leg, Sesshomaru pulled his knees towards his chest, pleased when the miko lost her balance, once again, and fell against his chest. Leaning forward, he took her face gently in his hands and licked the blood of the corners of her mouth. Kami, she tasted good.

A small voice in the back of his head interrupted his thoughts.

**So much for giving her to Naraku, hmm?**

**'I believe we already established this matter.'**

**Just as social as ever, aren't you? I'm just intterupting your little romp to let you know that you've already completed the first step of the Mating Ceremony.**

**'...What... did... you... just... say?'**

**That you've already completed-**

**'I heard you.'**

**Ask a stupid question, get a stupid answer. **

**'When did this occur?'**

**When you, for some reason unknown ::cough::youloveher::cough:: you decided to go and protect the miko Kagome, you admitted that you were protecting her. You ACKNOWLEDGED you loyalties to her. I believe you are familiar with the Three Trials?**

**'Yes.'**

**Well then, there you are. I'll leave you to sort out your tangled love life. Let me know when you finally decided to be a man and mate with her. Oh, and one more thing.**

**You just put you tongue in her mouth.**

...fuck.

**Kagome's P.O.V.**

Wow, this dream was extremely realistic. I could almost swear I felt Sesshomaru's tongue boldly exploring my mouth. Watch I would wake up and be sucking on the corner of my sleeping bag. Because dreaming was the only excuse my scrambled mind could come up with for why this was happening. Under what other circumstances could Sesshomaru, someone who hated everything and everyone, be kissing me? Let's see...

Drugs, alcohol, or complete loss of sanity. Hmm, I was pretty sure they hadn't developed those kinds of drugs yet, and I hadn't seen him drinking sake or anything. Oh, god. That meant...

Sesshomaru had gone insane. And I wasn't dreaming. Now that such an important fact had been established... I could kiss back without worrying about looking like an idiot the way I would if I had been dreaming. And that is just what I did.

...So the prick stops? As soon as I began to return his demanding kiss, he suddenly froze. His eyes widened as if he'd suddenly realized what he was doing. The grip he had on my arms, holding me still, tightened painfully as his claws bit into my skin. He pulled back, staring at me as if I'd just turned green. I hadn't, had I? I quick glance at my hands told me that I was still a tanned color, most certainly not green.

Fine. That just mean I had to make a move. Because the bastard wasn't going to get me all riled up and just pull away. Sesshomaru the man-hater or not, I was going to get kissed, god damnit. That thought in mind, I leaned forward and pressed my lips firmly against his.

His reaction was immediate. I was suddenly slammed onto my back, his grip on my arms pinning me in place while he kneeled over me, snarling, face inches from mine. A scuffling to my left alerted me of Sango, Miroku, and Hiroki scrambling for their weapons to try and rescue me from a pissed Sesshomaru. But a deafening roar from the inuyokai ceased their movements immediatly, not wanting to provoke him. He looked back down at me, our noses now touching. _'His eyes are red' _I thought, right before he crashed his mouth down on mine.

The abruptness of it caught me off guard, and he used my surprise to press his tongue through my lips. Taking both my wrists in one hand, he pinned them above my head, using the other one to begin to claw at the metal button of my cargos. Then he paused and looked up at the other four, growling deep in his chest.

"We need to go," came the whispered warning from Hiroki.

"What about Kagome? We can't just leave her!" was Sango's frangic answer.

"Believe me, she'll be fine. But we're interrupting part of a ritual Mating Ceremony, and he'll take his eager frustration out on us right now if we don't get our asses moving." Now warned of the concequences should they disobey, they all beat a hasty retreat out the door of the hut.

Apparently satisfied that he wouldn't be distracted again, Sesshomaru looked back down at me, giving me the only kind of grin I'd ever seen him wear; a victorious one. He returned his lips to mine and settled with just cutting away my button and zipper completely. I shivered as I felt his claws drag along the sensitive skin under my belly-button. Smiling against my mouth, he reached around me to scrape his claws against my lower back. I moaned, pressing against him.

His damn clothes were getting in the way. I began to tug impatiently at them. A small voice intterrupted me.

**WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING???** _I mean honestly, must we interupt such a intimate moment... but of course!! sing sing voice_

Okay, maybe not so small.

**'I... I don't know. What am I doing?'**

**You're about to rut with Sesshomaru.**

The sudden strangness of the situation hit me. I was trying to strip Sesshomaru. It was one thing for him to have lost control of his demon, but what was my excuse?

...He was cute? Okay, now I was just telling myself bullshit. Why wasn't I at least trying to push him off? It probably wouldn't do anything, but why wasn't I even bothering to put in any effort? Damn, it was really hard to concentrate when he was breathing in my ear like that. Okay, FOCUS!

Because I was upset about Inuyasha? No, it defenatly wasn't that. Because I was lonely? No the idea of doing this with anyone else was just... it didn't feel right. Did I love Sesshomaru? The idea was so strange I almost immediatly dismissed it. But something nagged at me.

He did always come to my aid. Even when it wasn't necessary, he was always right by my side. I remembered Sango telling me how he wouldn't let anyone near me after I'd collapsed at the hotsprings. So he did care. And even I couldn't deny that he was endearing in his own way. I couldn'd help grinning whenever I thought about how he taught me to sling rocks or how only this morning he'd had to come streaking through the village for his clothes.

I shivered as Sesshomaru finally got bored with the challenge my underwear presented and cut through it. He pushed the shredded remains of my pants and underwear out of the way, then releasing my hands and pulling my shirt over my head. I immediatly set to work on that big bow thing thatwas wrapped around his pants. He began to lean forward to press himself against me, but I stopped him; he was still wearing his armor, and damn, it HURT. He sat up, still straddling me and began to remove it. I used the time to continue my confused thoughts. _I like, totally think Lord Fluffy-stuff needs sex-ed! I mean, god, you can't have sex in armor, duh. Cause thats what they teach in sex-ed. Dont do it in the car, dont do it under the bleachers, dont do it in armor, hell just dont do it at all! _**(a/n: thank you for your imput Ashley ::smacks::)**

So maybe he did have some sort of feelings for me. But did I have any for him? Sango had been right at the hotsprings, I hadn't been very worried about my fate if Sesshomaru couldn't remove the mark. I trusted Sesshomaru to do what was the most logical and reasonable. Besides, if he wanted me dead, he would have put more effort into finding a way to finish me. And I did care. The idea of Sesshomaru dead was... unfathomable. I would not allow it. And now we had an unfogettable bond. Even if he did find a way to remove the mark, he wouldn't be able to remove our time together from his memories. I sure as hell wouldn't. But did I love him?

Yes, I did.

**Hahahahaha! Cliffy! I'm sorry to any people who are ready to strangle me right now, but I need to gather my wits about me before writing the lemon. I want it to be done right, not all cheesy and crap, this is a major turning point for character emotions and relationships! Thanks to the people who review, and the rest of you... REVIEW OR I'LL EAT YOU ALL WITH SOY SAUCE ON THE SIDE!!!!!!! Ahem, anywho, you get the point. Ciao!**


	13. Consumation

**I... am...ashamed. I feel so horrible. It took me forever to finally post this. My only excuse is trying my very best on this lemon, so I'm really nervous about it's debut. so this is the one chapter where I'll actually pay attention to any flames. But constructive critisims would be much more appriciated.**

**WARNING WARNING WARNING WARNING WARNING WARNING WARNING WARNING WARNING **

**CHAPTER CONTAINS A LEMON!!!**

'_blah blah blah' _: conversations between Hiroki and Kagome

**blah blah blah **: conversations between Sesshomaru and his inner beast

_blah blah blah : notes from the editor _

**(a/n: blah blah blah) : notes from the author**

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**Normal P.O.V.**

There was only one word to describe how he felt right now. Pissed. Inuyasha was pissed as hell for all the reasons you can think of. He was cold, filthy, and hungry. His whore was dead, and his replacement was rutting with his brother from the smell of it. His right and only fighting arm was gone, and so was Tetsusaiga. He could sense it's presence in the hut, but that bitch and her manwhore were in there. That meant he'd have to go on without it.

But where was he going on to? He couldn't go find Sango and Miroku. He'd willfully turned his back on one of their group, and had therefor done the same to them. He no longer had their trust or support. Kaede had probably already heard what had happened too. No, it was definatly best to move on to another village, find somewhere to camp, maybe gather some other demons. He would at least need to get back Tetsusaiga, and force would probably be required. He wasn't quite sure what he would do with it now that his arm was gone, but he refused to give it up to Sesshomaru.

But for now, he needed to put some distance between himself and his attempted killers. Sesshomaru probably would have cut him down if Kagome hadn't decided to be her weak and gullible self. Could she honestly believe that something good would come from letting him live? That he would suddenly return to the puppy he'd been to her. All she'd been was a tease. Wearing whore clothes, always taking baths every oppertunity she had, flirting with him one moment and that damn wolf Kouga the next. He'd gotten fed up.

After hunting down Kikyou, he declared himself seperated from his past companions. He was ready to forget them, to cut them out of his life and be with her. She'd agreed, and he'd taken her right there. Afterwards, however, she told him that she needed the rest of her soul. So they'd cleaned themselves up and gone down the the village to be greeted by a very altered enourage.

He'd only been gone two or so days, and already they'd replaced him. _Sesshomaru _of all people now stood in the space he'd once occupied. The others'd all had their weapons drawn against him. But it was Kagome who'd first caught his attention. She had wings. Her hair had been bleached white, and there was a fuckin' branding mark on her neck. In three days, the little whore had gotten herself betrothed to a demon she had no virtual knowlege of, no connection with, and had turned the rest of the group against him.

The expected jibe came from Sesshomaru, and he, not wanting the bastard to think he'd won, had retaliated until Kagome had started screeching like a damned banshee. But it was Sesshomaru's reaction to her that had driven him over the edge. He kissed her. No, he had tried to choke her with his tongue. Inuyasha had run at him with Tetsusaiga while Kikyou got down to business to retrieve her soul. It had been quite satisfying to see the look on Kagome's face when he didn't come to rescue her. It was a simple plan. Inuyasha was to distract the others with something while Kikyou tok care of Kagome, but Sesshomaru hadn't been part of the plan. So while Inuyasha took care of his half-brother, Kikyou had formed a barrier to keep the others out of her way.

But circumstance had screwed them over. Kagome had fought off the demon and purified, of all things _purified_, Kikyou. Sesshomaru had relieved Inuyasha of his fighting arm and his sword, and attempted to do the same for his life. Then Kagome had decided to try and salvage her 'innocent' reputation and stopped Sesshomaru from killing him.

Inuyasha shook his head, trying to clear his head from the anger that was building in his chest. Without Tetsusaiga it would be much easier to lose control due to anger. He couldn't care less if anyone died, but he wanted to be able to remember the feeling of running his claws throught that bastard and his whore.

He was running through the trees now. A carrige was up ahead, in fact a whole chain of caravans, but that wasn't what made him pause. It was what the men that surrounded it in a tight knot were discussing in loud, carrying voices.

"I think the demon slayer had called Kango...Kagone...Kagome! That was it, she called her Kagome! And she'd be easy to find, she was wearing those weird-ass clothes. We can just ask around, somebody would remember her. That Lord's son certainly did, eh, Shentosha?" A murmur of angry agreement followed this. Then a softer voice joined in.

"He most certainly did. I must say, sending his father's entire army in order to retrieve a refund was rather overkill. Especially considering they took much more than their fair share. The money is gone, gentlemen, and it's that bitch's fault. Let us pay her back in kind, Shentosha! Some of us can keep up the buisness, and you can send out a group to go find her. If you do, we won't make you split the next pay." There were some grumbles at this, but most gave a shout of agreement.

Inuyasha peered down through the branches. He was pretty sure they were talking about Kagome. They had the name, which was strange in itself, and now weird clothes, and they'd heard a demon slayer call her name... it just had to be her. And if it was, he was looking at a group of people ready to help him towards his revenge.

A group of men were standing around one demon, apparently the leader who seemed to be called Shentosha since they were giving him their requests. His face and body blended into the surrounding night, except for large fangs that curved from his mouth almost to his chin and yellow eyes that shimmered maliciously. The caravans behind him were all chained shut, but there were muffled movements and crys coming from them. So these people were slave traders. Slaves were supposed to be illegal, but there were very few fuedal lords who didn't have some form of pleasure or household slave.

From the sound of it, Inuyasha was betting Kagome had been caught and sold by them, but had escaped in a rather drastic way if the fuedal lord's son was calling the shots, for now at least. And he'd found the need for a refund and had sent men to recover it. The slavers had been separated from every piece of gold they had, and as they couldn't go after the lord's son and his men, they were placing the blame squarely in Kagome's lap. And that was just fine with him.

Maybe this Shentosha and he could find some common ground.

**Kagome's P.O.V.**

**WARNING WARNING WARNING WARNING WARNING WARNING WARNING WARNING WARNING **

Sesshomaru had finally gotten his armor off, and I was ready for anything. But then again, I had no idea of how demons handled this sort of thing. Anyway, the point is that I had sorted myself out. I loved Sesshomaru and had no issues with what we were about to do. My period had already ended, too, so no worries!

Tossing the armor in the corner, Sesshomaru, with my help, began pulling of his shirt. It soon joined the armor in the pile of "unwanted articles". He pressed his lips hungrily against mine, and I returned it while fumbling with the obi of his pants. He caught my hands again and used just one of his to pin the above my head and out of the way. Now that his armor was finally out of the way, he pressed his warm, hard chest up against me. I could feel his heart beating, and was sure he could feel mine.

Then he let out a hiss of pain against my mouth as a jagged floorboard stabbed at him. Grabbing my sleeping bag, which lay next to him from where he'd left it after pulling it of Sango and myself, and spread it out as best he could from on top of me. Then, wrapping an arm around my waist, he rolled, pulling me with him, until we were on the sleeping bag and he was back on top. Jerk.

Now comfortable, Sesshomaru sliced a claw through the middle of my bra, pushing it out of his way. He ran his only free hand gently over my breats, which were peaking in the sudden cool air. He leaned down and ran his tounge up the valley between them, all the way up my neck to the shell of my left ear. I could feel my muscles contracting tightly, and a burning sensation was distracting me with it's need for release.

I lifted my hips and pressed against Sesshomaru, feeling him harden through the material. I let out a moan as the burning sensation deepened and worsened. Suddenly feeling very frustrated, I gave an angry jerk, freeing one of my hands. I immediatly directed it to Sesshomaru's waistband, and this time, he agreed. Releasing my other hand, we both pulled the rest of his clothes off until he was finally kneeling over me naked.

Once freed from the tangle of clothes, Sesshomaru streached out over me, then placed both hands under my lower back, lifting me slightly in preperation to make his entrance. I leaned my head back, hoping he'd get it over with before I could start wondering if it would hurt _very _much. Then he suddenly paused. I looked back up again, deciding that if anything interrupted this, I would be forced to anniahlate it completly; that was quickest. But Sesshomaru was looking at me straigt in the eye, and it took me a second to realise what he was waiting for: permission.

Of all things, he was making sure that he had permission. It both frustrated and pleased me. It somehow made it easier knowing that if I'd asked he would have stepped away (and probably headed for some cold water). But right now he needed to get on with it before the burning consumed me. I gave a quick jerk of a nod, and as I did, his mark on his forhead began to glow, as did the one on his neck. But the nod I gave was all the encouraging he needed.

He lowered his hips and slid his hard member in, causing me to give a violent shiver. Leaning over he plunged his tongue back into my mouth, but I still gave a slight twitch of pain when he broke my barrier. However, as soon as he began a slow, rhythmic thrust, it became insignifigant to the pleasure that washed through me. I arched my back while he ran his tongue and hands across my breats. Every nerve felt a thousand times more sensitive then usual.

Sesshomaru began to thrust more quickly, more eagerly, and I quickly adjust to the new pace. The burning sensation was everywhere now, and I suspected it wouldn't go away until I'd found release. But then he slowed down again, thrusting deeper instead. I was done with any type of taunting though. I was so aroused that it was hurting, and if was going to be an asshole about it, then I was claiming top.

I leaned up and gave Sesshomaru's ear a violent nip. His momentary distraction gave me the oppertinuty I needed to roll over, putting me on top. As soon as I was there, he fought for top again. It took all my strength just top pin his arms. Couldn't the ass just be accomidating for ONCE? I snarled at him, the first time I'd ever tried, and it came out as a low, gutteral sound. Sesshomaru paused and considered me for a moment, then relaxed.

I rocked my hips forward, not quite sure, but Sesshomaru helped set the motion, letting me set the pace. Mine was much more urgent, which he sensed. Rolling back over, he took control again and gave me the release I'd been craving. The pit of fire between my hips suddenly burst, and just as it did, he sank his fangs into my neck, right over the glowing branding mark. As soon as he did, both our marks stopped glowing. I let out a yelp, and he slid his fangs back out.

The burning turned into more of a throb, pulsing throughout my body, gently fading. A few more thrusts later, Sesshomaru came too, and he immediatly collased on top of me. I gave a small "uff". He raised his head slightly, then gave me a small smile and rolled to the side, pulling the sleeping bag back over us. Wrapping his arms around me, he pulled me to his chest, and I pressed my self against him with my arms around his neck. Sesshomaru fell asleep almost immediatly, and his slow deep breathes lulled me to sleep.

**END LEMON END LEMON END LEMON END LEMON END LEMON END LEMON END LEMON END LEMON **

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**sorry if that didn't satisfy you guys, but I just couldn't work out how to go any farther than that and still make it sound semi-believeable. How d'you think i did for my first lemon? I'm sorry if it was shitty, this is the first time I've ever tried it and I didn't...em ::cough::... really have anything to go on.) -.- DAMN YOU STATE LAWS!!! jk**

**------------------------------------(bar line thing)---------------------------------**

It was official. Birds were the bane of my existence. As one let out a particularly annoying "TWWEEEETTTT" I imagined it being harpooned upon an arrow. Just as I realized Sesshomaru was no longer next to me the sound was suddenly cut off. I lifted my head up, squinting against the morning light, my nose wrinkling as the smell of singed feathers overwhelmed me. I shivered against the cool morning air, reaching for my yellow backpack. Pulling on a pair of underwear, an old but still huge sweatshirt, and socks I pulled off the covers completely to brave the chill and find him. I didn't have to look very far.

He was sitting outside the hut, leaned back against the trunk of a tree. Nearby lay the remains of a bluejay, still smoking slightly. Sesshomaru wore grimly satisfied smirk. I couldn't tell if he hadn't noticed me or if I was just being ignored. He flicked his wrist and another bird met its demise. For some reason, it reminded me of when Inuyasha would brood up in his tree and beat Shippo half to death. But at least Sessomaru's way was somewhat constructive.

I walked quietly over and sat gingerly down next to him. He didn't look at me, instead pulling me onto his lap and wrapping his arm around me, occasinally letting go to silence another pest. I leaned against his chest, listening to his heart beat.

When had he become so much to me?

**okay, end chapter 13. i know its infuriatingly short, and i'm sorry. i'm working on the next chapter as i post this. is should be up by tomorrow. SCOUTS HONOR::::coughlikeimascouthehhehcough::::**


	14. Road Trip

**two months. TWO MONTHS!!! I cannot even begin to express my shame at how long it has taken me to write this next chapter. I would totally deserve it if everyone came to hunt me down. I was sitting at my computer looking through my files and i found my last chapter, and i was like, "Oh my god, it's been two **_**months**_**!" Holy shit. So in an effort to make up for it, i require no reviews, though if you want to, go right ahead by all means. "**

'_blah blah blah' _: conversations between Hiroki and Kagome

**blah blah blah **: conversations between Sesshomaru and his inner beast

_blah blah blah : notes from the editor _

**(a/n: blah blah blah) : notes from the author**

**------------------------------------(bar line thing)---------------------------------**

**Kagome's P.O.V.**

"Miko, you have three seconds to relocate yourself to Ah Un's back before I make you sorry you hadn't moved faster," came Sesshomaru's ever-so-delicatly phrased afternoon greeting. I turned to see him returning from gathering Jaken and Ah Un, the dragon following behind him regally while Jaken was dragged along by the reins. Sesshomaru didn't seem to notice his servant's groans and curses, watching me through narrowed eyes. "You are packed, I presume." I frowned. Packed for what?

"Why would I be packed?" Sesshomaru sighed, walking towards the hut, grabbing me by the wrist has he went past and towing me along with him.

"We are returning to my lands today, miko. I do not have time to explain things to you at the moment as I with to arrive before winter solstice." He smirked. I snarled and wrench my arm from his grasp.

"The is no way in the seven hells I am coming to your lands, let alone right now. In case you haven't realized, Inuyasha is still loose on the lands-  
"And who's fault is that?"

"- and Naraku is still wandering free. You sure know how to screw up your timing," I hissed. He was mental if he thought I was going to abandon the village to Inuyasha's wrath. "I need to stay here and hunt for jewel shard, prick, not run around your pretty house and gasp at your wealth! So you can just- PUT MY BAG DOWN!" Sesshomaru ignored me, as usual, and continued strapping my backpack to Ah Un. "I am not-"

"Kagome, if you do not _move_..." he let the threat trail off, glaring at me. I was momentarily stunned at his finally using my name. It took me a moment to regain my power of speech.

"Can't you at least tell me where we're going?" I demanded. Sesshomaru relaxed, now assured that I was done fighting.

"To the Neko village. We will have to cross some of the Eastern Lands in order to reach the city, and I have enlisted guards. We are also escourting some members of my court back. A meeting must be held, plans made. I would rather have everyone be present rather than send runners to hunt them down." I frowned.

"So why am I going with you?"

"Because I need to introduce you formally to the court. For the moment, we are betrothed since it would look rather strange, my walking around with you being towed along behind you see." He ignored me as my jaw hit the ground.

"But... but we're not betrothed!" I gaped at him. His smirk became more pronounced.

"Actually we are. Two of the Three Trials have be completed and we would have been considered betrothed ever since you recieved that mark. Now cease your gaping miko, for your impression of a fish is too good for my comfort. Try not to imitate it at court."

"What court?" Hiroki let the straw mat fall back into place as he walked to my side, his arms crossed and a suspicious look on his face. "Where are we going?"

"_Kagome_," Sesshomaru answered, putting a delicate stress on my name, "is coming with me to the Western City." A low, angry snarl began to build in Hiroki's chest. He uncrossed his arms, instead letting them hand loosely at his side, claws sharper that usual. Sesshomaru hand went to his swords, gripping Tenseiga. They glared at each other. I pondered pretending to collapse again from ego-suffication before my planning was interrupted when Sesshomaru wrapped his arm around my waist and pulling me behind him, his cold eyes locked on Hiroki.

"Control yourself," he ordered harshly. His grip around me tightened. "Control yourself before you do something we both will regret." Hiroki's snarl increased in volume and the mark on his forehead began to glow.

"As if I would hurt her," he hissed. "If she is leaving so am I." Another growl joined his, louder and more violent.

"You have absolutly no claim to her. She is my betrothed, and if you continue to endanger her with your lack of control I will be forced to gut you." I was gave a start at that, rather disapproving of Sesshomaru's aloof tone of voice. In an effort to disperse the testosterone choking the air, I reached up and gave his ear a gentle tug. When he ignored it I gave it a good jerk and he turned to me, snarling. "What?"

"There's no reason he can't come, Sesshomaru. You're just being an arrogant prick." Our eyes met for a moment, and I swallowed nervously. His mouth twitched slightly and was it just me or was he _laughing_ at me? Finally he released me from our staring contest, his only response a "Hn" before he looked determinedly away. His next words were spoken rather stiffly, while his hand slipped underneath my shirt where his claws began digging gently into the small of my back.

"You may use Ah Un for transportation-"

"I don't need-" began Hiroki heatedly before Sesshomaru cut across him.

"- and Kagome will travel with me. The kitsune will ride Ah Un if you have no use for him, but," he smirked, "Do try to keep up." With that diplomatic farewell, Sesshomaru retreated to the hut. Hiroki glowered at his back. I reached up to touch his arm.

"Are you okay? You seem sorta... out of it. Tense, you know?" Hiroki sighed.

"I am sorry about that. It's just I haven't been to the Western City in a long time. It's rather cowardly, actually." I stared at him.

"Cowardly? Do you not like Taiyoukai? They're not all assholes, I promise." Hiroki let out what was supposed to be a laugh. It sounded like a small sob.

"No, you see... when I was small, I was betrothed to a demoness named Megami." His eyes misted over and his voice softened. "She was an Earth Elemental youkai with beautiful red hair and these _amazing _emerald eyes." I stiffled a giggle as he realized what he was saying. Clearing his throat, he continued, "Anyways, I traveled to the city to meet her. We got to know each other and we both were relatively pleased with the engagment." I rolled my eyes. Talk about understatement.

"However, Megami-san's father didn't approve of my, ah, status at court, so the engagment was broken. She and her father still reside at the Western Court." He sounded strained. "I pray I will not run into either of them. It would be the very definition of akward. However, I can't leave you to the mercy of Sesshomaru. After all, it's so hard to look attractive and drool at the same time," he teased. I stuck my tongue out at him, blushing furiously.

"I do not drool," I muttered. Hiroki smirked before looking over my shoulder.

"Not much," he ammended before looking over my shoulder. "I think your friends want to say goodbye," he said quietly. I turned to see Sango and Miroku standing outside the flap door of the hut, Kirara perched precariously on Sango's shoulder. I walked over to her and gave her a tight hug. I gave Miroku a quick hug too, wary of his lecherous hands.

"We'll stay at the village for a few weeks in case Inuyasha returns," Sango reassured me. An uncharacteristically ugly look spread over her face. "We'll tear him appart if he does." Miroku have me a wink, his hand moving sneakily towards Sango's waist. Sango used a move she'd gotten off of a wrestling video I'd downloaded for her on my iPod to sufficiently decapacitate Miroku for a few hours. I laugh, my eyes welling with tears as I gave her another hug.

"If nothing happens, will you come to the Western City? I'm really going to need your help on demon customs and ettiquiet (sp?)," I said, wrinkling my nose at the thought. Dear god, please don't let me slip up too badly and get eaten. That would... suck. Sango nodded, crying just as badly as I was. Hiroki came up to us looking rather nervous at having to deal with weepy ningen. With a last hug to Sango and foot-nudge to Miroku, I didn't fight when Sesshomaru walked out of the hut, confident I hadn't left anything, and scooped me up into his arms. However, I _did _complain when I was dumped rather unceremoniously onto a youkai cloud that was definately not as soft as it looked. Giving me his trademark smirk, he settled himself next to me before leaning over and licking my throat.

"Are you in pain, Ka-go-me?" he whispered, drawing out my name as he bit gently down on the branding mark in the crook of my neck. I shuddered under his mouth. He'd been doing this a lot lately, becoming uncharacteristically affectionate for a minute or two before sinking back behind his cold and aloof mask of indifference.

I repositioned myself so that we were back-to-back, wincing as his armor pressed into my collarbone. This was going to be one long trip.

**------------------------------------(bar line thing)---------------------------------**

I was right. An estimated three hours later found me laying on my back, my head resting against Sesshomaru's left leg while Sesshomaru himself amused himself by trying to see what actions made me blush harder. So far he'd delcared licking the branding mark on my neck the winner. Meanwhile, Hiroki had long since given up on conversation. It was too difficult to maintain normal conversation with clawed hands occasionally sliding up my thigh. He ended up following along behind us, leaping from tree to tree, in an effort to improve his speed and agility. After almost an hour and a half of no speech, I finally got bored and decided to attempt conversation.

"So... who are the demons in your court?" Sesshomaru looked away from the horizon to meet my gaze before leaning over and gently biting my throat. Sitting up again, he responded,

"There are representatives from different villages and cities in the Western Lands, as well as ambassadors from the Eastern and Northern Lands. Scholars often visit as well to use the library. Then there are nobles from the House of the Moon. Not relatives, of course, just other Inuyoukai who own a decent amount of land and pay the large taxes for them. However, there's usually a few others who have just come to seek an audience." He fixed me with his amber eyes again. "When we arrive, it is very important that you act with decorum and assurance. Let no one have reason to talk against you. The Western Court is a snakepit of gossip and bribery. Remember that you are seen as my betrothed and that demands respect, however if you let them push you around they will do so. I cannot be by your side constantly and protect you, Kagome." I shivered, suddenly even less eager to arrive than I had before. The Court sounded like high school only a much more extreme scale. But who donsn't love a challenge? Hah hah... shit. I ran my hand over my mark, casting around for a more pleasant subject.

"How do you plan to remove the branding mark?" I felt him stiffen and his voice when he answered came out rather harsh.

"I have yet to find a solution. A Mating Ceremony comprises of three trials representing the three elements needed for a couple: Protect, Honor, and Cherish. The male is considered the dominant one in a relationship and must therefore prove himself to his beloved. However, that form of mating has long since fallen out of favor. Now a monk simply reads a sutra and preforms the binding rites, then the male gives the female her Mate Mark." He gave a small snort of disdain. "Of course, they usually kill the monk once they're finished." Noticing my look of horror, he gave me a small, wry smile. "Court is not for those with delicate sensibilities."

I got up, searching desperately for something to burn off all my restless energy.

"I'm going flying," I told him abruptly before snatching my bag and freeing my bow. Gripping it tightly, I exhaled, trying to breathe out my nerves. Clenching my teeth as my wings pushed through, I unfolded them in a stretch before pushing away from Sesshomaru and into the sky. Flying kept me occupied for another half hour or so. The only issue arose when, in an attempt to gain speed, I let my wings fold and shot towards the forest floor, only to be tackled from two directions as Hiroki, and, rather surprisingly, Sesshomaru plowed into me to stop my descent. After a relieved tongue-lashing from Hiroki and feeling chastened by Sesshomaru's tight expression, I settled back down next to him, Hiroki joining us to help keep me occupied, probably hoping to avoid another flying incident. I was just teaching him an American hand-clapping game when Sesshomaru's hand gripped my wrist to catch my attention.

"We've arrived."

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**Okay, I did my best to help make up for the long wait. I cannot even begin to express my guilt. Please review!!! Tell me what you thing, whether it be crappy, incredible, OOC, let me know so I can do better next chappie! Thnx so much for sticking with the story everyone! Ciao!**

**House of the Moon is a fanfiction that was written by Resmiranda. I do not have any connection with it, but let me tell you, it's amazing. You can find it on But anyways, I just borrowed the name for the Sesshomaru's family house.**


	15. Arrivals and Aquantainces

**Merry Christmas everyone! I'm posting this on Christmas Eve as my present to all of you wonderful, loyal readers out there! I can't express my gratitude enough that you've all stuck with me! I hope you Chistmas is a hundred times better that mine! I'm going to a funeral... lots of Christmas cheer there rolls eyes. Once again, THANK YOU! MERRY X-MAS, ONE AND ALL!**

'_blah blah blah' _: mental conversations between Hiroki and Kagome

**blah blah blah **: conversations between Sesshomaru and his inner beast

_blah blah blah : notes from the editor _

**(a/n: blah blah blah) : notes from the author**

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**Kagome's P.O.V.**

"_Dear Kami-sama, I'm sorry for whatever it was I did to deserve this, and I hope you can find it in yourself to forgive my unknown sins._" I finished my prayer to find both Sesshomaru and Hiroki watching me, the first with a lifted eyebrow and the latter trying to suffocate his laughter. "It never hurt to be safe," I told them stiflly.

"You're not entering a war zone. It's just one of the City outposts and this is where we're picking up our escourts and the courtiers. I'm going to have a lot to do while we're here, I can't help you breathe too." Sesshomaru added, and I forced air into my lungs again. Great, courtiers. In, out, in, out. Don't think about the strange demons that are probably going to eat you, or at least try. Try not to remember that it would really hurt to be torn apart if you slip up and offend someone. In, out, in, out. My panic must have shown on my face because Sesshomaru caught my chin and turned my head to face him. Leaning forward to touch his forehead to mine, he murmured,

"Relax. I will not allow anything to happen to you."

"Yeah, don't worry Kags, we'll skin anyone who trys to touch you," he called, grinning and poking me in the back. Sessomaru frowned at me when I did not relax my tense position against his left side. Reaching over, he grabbed me by the arm and pulled me into his lap and looked me full in the face before leaning down to kiss my forehead. I felt a tingling where the crecent moon of his House had appeared so long ago. I relaxed against the inside of his knee and let my eyes slide closed, twirling a lock of his long silver hair around my index finger.

I listened to Hiroki ask innocently "Can I braid your hair too Sesshomaru-sama?" and Sesshomaru's answering snarl, enjoying the vibrations that spread through his chest. I opened my eyes again when I felt Sesshomaru's body rock as he made a swipe at Hiroki with his poison whip, who avoided it with ease before flashing me a grin and leaping back off the cloud. A stream of curses followed as he landed awkwardly and painfully on the jagged branch of a tree below.

A small, satisfied grin graced Sesshomaru's face before he noticed I was watching him. He gathered me tighter to his chest as the youkai cloud began to decend in front of large, ornately carved doors, and I could see from the sky that they were ridiculously thick, almost as thick as Sesshomaru was tall. A series of sentries in armor walked along the top while a small army waited in front of the gates. The group below had their own outfits, so I could only assume they only attended to the gate. It would certainly take at least that many people to open the thing.

When the cloud touched down the the ground, the men immediately swarmed forward to identify us. One especially obnoxious soldier hoisted me up by my upper arm and literally dragged me off Sesshomaru's lap and onto my feet. The moment I let out a pained gasp as my feet rolled under my weight onto my ankles, the soldier suddenly pulled away from me, screaming. On the top of his hand, the skin was smoking and twisting, melting. I could see a poison whip retract out of the corner of my eye before I was collected by Hiroki and led back over to Sesshomaru in the midst of the soldiers, all of whom looked a little more wary. I looked them over; all were wearing thin armor that hadn't seen much use since there wasn't much fighting so far up in the mountains. Most of their bulk was made up of thick fabric layered under protective gear, dyed a navy blue with a pattern of stars on the edge of the sleves.

I could understand why they wore so much, it was _freezing_ up here. The winds carried powdery snow on them and passed through my summer clothing easily. Sesshomaru's armor was now frosty, and it didn't help being pulled up against it. The soldiers must have had a previous encounter with Sesshomaru since someone whispered, "That's the man from before." As soon as this was uttered, they all immediatly fell back and made for a gatehouse to open the mosterous gates. Sesshomaru snorted in contempt and waited impatiently for the gate to open. A series of loud grunts sounded as the guards turned a large wheel while sentries from above trod back off the doors to make the load easier.

"Ahh, Sesshomaru-sama, what has taken so long? I feared we'd have to leave without you!" A demon was waiting on the other side of the doors. He wore a fighting kimono, resembling Sesshomaru's, but more form fitting. A was balanced at his feminine hips, secured with a leather belt. The cloth that made up his clothing was thick cotton with an overcoat of fine silk. I assumed the overcoat was more for appearences than preference. A soft chuckled drew my gaze to the demon's face.

It was, again, rather feminine, with large, almond-shaped green eyes that took in everything around him. Long whiskers sprouted around his nose and twitched as he moved his head. Small cat ears were perched on his heat and swiveled each time someone shifted or moved among a mass of dark brown hair pulled into a messy pony tail. On his forhead was a marking much like Sesshomaru's moon. Chikyo's however, were three small stars that formed a triangle. Overall, he looked more like a girl that a boy, but as he moved toward us, I took an unconcious step back. His gait was sleek and powerful, constantly on the verge of springing into action. I noticed that he had no fingernails, instead sheathed claws. Creepy...

"Ah, I see you brought a visitor. Is this the object of your affections, Sesshomaru-sama? I must say, I can see what drove you to it... He grinned at me and Sesshomaru tensed.

"Are you prepared to leave, Chikyo? I'd like to be back at court before the winter solstice." The neko now revealed as Chikyo shook his head, tutting like a hen.

"So impatient, Sesshomaru-sama. You wouldn't like to spend the night, or at least warm up? The poor girl you currently have doing a faceplant into your armor looks frozen. Look, her lips are turning blue." Sesshomaru held very still for a moment, thinking it over, before the viloent shiver ripping through my body decided him. He gave Chikyo a curt nod, who then turned and walked towards a large manor in the center of the village. The village, though very large, was obviously very well off. The houses were all sturdily built, while the other demon cats in it all looked healthy.

When we reached the manor, I noticed that it was the finest out of all the others I could see, making this Chikyo the head of it. I removed my shoes along with the others and we were lead to a large room with a thick woven carpet and a large fire. Chikyo excused himself for a moment and left. As soon as he was gone, I detached myself from Sesshomaru's frozed armor and dropped in front of the flames, my hands thrust in front of me. Hiroki sooned joined me, more for the sport of dropping his polite facade than out of cold as he plopped down onto his butt. Sesshomaru maintained his composure, sinking gracefully to the floor next to me, his legs crossed.

The sliding door behind us opened and a stout, grumpy faced neko woman brought a tray with tea. As she set it on the table in the center of the room, she cast us a disapproving gaze at our status of being crumpled on the floor instead of using the chairs like proper guests. She straigtened up and turned to face Sesshomaru, ignoring Hiroki and me.

"Lord Chikyo-sama is must tend to a minor disturbance in the surrounding summits," she told him in a stiff, formal voice. "He sends his regrets that you must wait untill tomorrow to depart. If Lord Hiroki-san can follow me, I shall take him to his room." She waited untill I'd given Hiroki a good poke and he'd gotten to his feet before turning and leading him down out the door and into the hallway. As the sound of their footsteps faded, I turned to Sesshomaru. He was watching me as if torn with indecision, of what I had no idea.

"So... Chikyo-san seems... agreeable," I commented struggling for words. When his expression didn't change, I continued, "So is he one of the nobles in the court? He has those markings on his forehead... is that some sort of sign that you're a noble? Hiroki has one too, and he said his father was the leader of his village, and you three are the only one's I've seen with them," I rambled on, rather unnerved by his look, but my pointless chatter was inttereupted by his smooth voice.

"Are you still cold, Kagome?" This rather random question silenced me, before I gave a non-commital shrug. "Your lips are still blue. Then, without warning, he leaned forward and touched his warm lips to mine. I groaned and leaned into him as he ran his tongue over my lips. Suddenly he pulled back, lips twitching, just in time to avoid being caugh by the housekeeper as she returned to lead us to our rooms.

The woman led us down a large, dark hallway occasionally turning a corner. As we walked, I felt something warm take my hand. I looked down to see Sesshomaru's hand intertwined with mine. I looked up at his face and looked away when I caught his eye. We were led to a set of sliding doors of to the left side of one of the halls. Pulling it open we were ushered inside while our guide tried to remain polite. Obviously she had other things to attend to.

"The bathroom and hot springs are beyond that door to the right. Clothes are in the closet, they should fit. Have a pleasant evening," she said, before disappearing back through the doors, closing the behind her. I turned to Sesshomaru. He turned to me. We both bolted for the door to the right.

"NO! I CALL USING THE BATH FIRST, YOU TURD!!!" I shouted as he shot in front of me. His foot in the right place had me sprawling forward onto his back. We both hit the floor with a thud, Sesshomaru skidding spectacuarly on his face for six feet with me on his back. As we came to a stop, we both layed there, both a jumbled mess, in silence. However, Sesshomaru began to vibrate as he let loose a snarl that had me off his back and dashing for the door before he could pull himself together. One thought echoed in my mind. _Through the door, through the door, through the door_. I wasn't sure what the door was going to do to stop him, but I could figure that out later.

I made it just in time. As I slammed the door shut, Sesshomaru's claws melted their way through what had almost been my head. I grabbed a towel as I ran from a bench and continued through a curtained opening that led to a hotspring surrounded by a bamboo wall. Stone benches had been carved out of the ground in the water, and on the edge of the spring was a washcloth and my backpack.

With a sigh of relief, I undressed and pulled my things out of my yellow blackhole-of-a-backpack. Sliding into the hot water was absolute nirvana. As let the water evelope me upto my nose, a movement near the curtain-door caught my attention. I could see someone's feet moving on the other side. If that was Sesshomaru coming to continue the fight over bathing rights I was going to make sure he wouldn't be ambulatory for at least another month. Instead, a neko with a willowly, graceful figure pushed the curtain aside and entered. However, she stopped dead at the sight of me.

As we stared at each other, I noticed she looked a little older than me, with long, strawberry-blonde hair that reached past her waist and large purple eyes the color of amathysist (sp?). She was wrapped in a towel and clutching a finely crafted comb.

"Erm, gomenasai. I wasn't aware anyone was bathing here. I'll... I'll come back later," she murmured, obviously embarrassed, before giving a hurried bow and turning for the door.

"Oh, no, please," I called to her. If she was using this bath than she probably lived here, and it was extremely rude to force someone out of their own bath. "It's fine. I was just about done." To give my lie more substance I began scrubbing my hair with my shampoo. She gave me a nervous smile and slid into the spring across from me. After a moment of silence, I attempted and icebreaker.

"Do you want to borrow this? It helps make your hair softer, and it feel really nice," I offered, gesturing to my bottle of citrus shampoo.

"Oh, ah, okay, thank you," she smiled taking the bottle from me and lathering the shampoo into her hands. "So, are you here during your travels?"

"Well, I suppose you could say that. Lord Icesicle-ass and I are here to meet with Lord Chikyo-san and then we're all traveling to the Western City." I paused as the woman let loose a giggle.

"Sorry, It's just I've never heard anyone have the nerve to call Lord Sesshomaru-sama that," she confessed, still laughing. I grinned.

"Yeah, I guess I can see why. He's much too proud for his own good. I might have to steal his clothes again..." The woman's eyes popped.

"You... what?"

"Well, he made me get up ridiculously early just so he could prove how good he is with a sword 'cause I damaged his pride. So while he was bathing, I stole his clothes and he had to run streaking through the village to come and try to massacre me," told her, grinning at the memory. The womans giggles began again.

"I'm Hikaeme," she introduced with a small bow of her head.

"I'm Kagome. Do you live here?" I asked. She nodded, handing me the shampoo back. "Yes. My clan came to join this one a few months ago to help give everyone added protection. From what, I'm not really sure. There are rumors about and extremely powerful half-demon who's been gathering shards of the Shikon no Tama, but there hasn't been any trouble so far up in the mountains. The Western Court seems to feel that this hanyou is too much of a threat however. That's why Lord Chikyo-sama is traveling, to attend a meeting on what they're going to do about him. Apparently he's destroyed too many villages under the West's protection." I was rather surprised about this.

"The Court is going to intervene? Isn't this sort of trivial for them?" I had pictured the Court as something much more powerful than to be worried about Naraku. He was certainly evil, but he mostly just manipulated humans and beings that were probably unimportant to the demon court.

"Normally, they'd simply dispatch someone to take care of him, but they don't like one being having possesion of so many shards of the Jewel. They want to avoid an uprising." I dunked my head under the water and washed the shampoo from my hair and Hikaeme, following my lead, did the same. When we both emerged, she looked like she was dying to ask something.

"What?"

"IsittrueyourSEsshomaru'smate?" she asked in a rush. I stared at her, trying to decypher her words before giving up.

"Uh, what?" She took a deep breathe and tried again.

"Is it true that you are Lord Sesshomaru-sama's mate?" she asked, looking sorry that she'd asked in the first place.

"Erm, sort of. It was kinda an accident. He sort of lost it one night and accidentally gave me the branding mark, and later on, we sort of got carried away, and completed some sort of Trials. He was sort of avoiding the question when I asked what he was going to do about it." I sighed. Hikaeme, however, looked confused.

"The Lord can't remove it? Why doesn't he just... unless..." she gaped at me.

"What?" I asked, unnerved. The knowing grin spreading over her face was rather scary. She chuckled and shook her head.

"It's nothing. We should probably get out, I think someone's calling you." We paused for a minute and could hear a voice in the distance.

"KAGOME!!! SESSHOMARU IS READY TO KILL! RUN! RUN FAR AWAY!" Hiroki's shouting could be heard in the distance.

"Oh, shit," I hissed, wondering how difficult it would be to scale the bamboo fence. Hikaeme looked terrified.

"Well, it was nice meeting you Kagome, I'd better get going, goodbye!" she said, leaping out of the springs and wrapping her towel back around herself and bolting back through the curtain. I followed her lead, gathering my things and running through the curtain and glancing desperately around for a door that wouldn't lead into Sesshomaru's angry clutches. There was none. Shit shit shit. Holding my backpack in front of me, part shield, part battering-ram, I slammed the door open and dashed through, knocking over a chair and taking out the door in the process. In the corner of my eye, I could see and surprised Hiroki and a livid Sesshomaru. My sudden appearence seemed to have shocked them into stillness, giving me time to run, shrieking, from the room. A sudden crash told me that Sesshomaru was once again in motion. I threw my bag over my shoulder in the hopes of slowing him down, and a thud told me that I'd hit someone. There was a draft to my left. I ran towards it.

Ripping the door open, I found myself in the courtyard of the manor. It was full of the guards from the gate, standing around small fires to warm themselves from the snow that was now falling. I ignored them and ran for the gate into the main village, mere yards away from my current position. As all the men turned to stare at me dashing towards the exit and Sesshomaru's blurred from shoot from the doorway, I met resistence in the form of tripping over a step I hadn't noticed halfway across the courtyard.

I soon found that it was not _a_ step. It was a series of them, almost as long as the steps upto my family shrine. A lot of them. As I went flying off my feet, I got a birds eye view of the stone ground I was going to go crashing into upon landing. If I had been rational, I'd have seen the steps beforehand. If I'd had any sense at all, I would have released my wings. Instead, everying seemed to move in slow motion. I turned as I fell, taking in everything at once. The guards were shouting, Hiroki was standing at the door, frozen in horror, but my gaze was drawn to Sesshomaru. He was still moving towards me, and his eyes were wide with fear. My body continued his spiral and now I had a full view of village and the mountains just beyone before I looked to see the stone floor.

However, my view of the ground was suddenly blocked by a large amount of fluffy fur and silver hair. Something wrapped around my waist and suddenly everything was upside-down before righting itself again. I looked around, dazed, up into the face of a livid, paler-than-usual face of Sesshomaru.

We were standing at the bottom of the steps, with his arm wrapped around me just under the armpits.

"KAGOME! OH MY FUCKING GOD, YOU GAVE ME A FREAKIN' HEART ATTACK!" Hiroki shouted, dashing down the steps. "If you ever do that again, I will tie you to Sesshomaru's back and you will never walk again," he snarled, shaking. "And-" he suddenly stopped, staring at Sesshomaru's arm. "Eh, we'll finish this later," he muttered, moving in front of me to block the gaze of the soldiers as Sesshomaru pulled off his hatori. It was just then I noticed my towel was floating away on the mountain wind.

"OH MY GOD! I shrieked. Sesshomaru wrapped me in his shirt before picking me back up bridal-style and leaping back up the steps.

**Normal P.O.V**

Sesshomaru took a steadying breath, trying to calm himself. He fought the urge to shake Kagome untill her teeth rattled and then kiss her 'till she had no more air left in her lungs. The moment she'd gone flying over edge of the stairs and into the air, time had been suspended. He couldn't move fast enough, the very air was holding him back. He could see her eyes meet his as she fell, her hands reached towards him in a silent plea for help. His ears suddenly stopped working, blocking out the shouting of guards and shrieks of village women outside the gate. It was just him and her in a timeless space, fighting to close the distance between them.

Sesshomaru tightened his hold on Kagome, taking in her scent, relishing the sound of her heartbeat thrumming in her chest. She was shivering and occasionally sneezed, the result of running practically naked through the snow. He restrained himself from rolling his eyes with great difficulty. Only Kagome would run naked through a strange house into a courtyard full of men and trip in the process. He could now begin to appriciate the challenge his half-breed brother must have gone through to keep her safe.

She was really more of danger to herself than anyone else. When they reached the castle he would have to teach her about reflex-reactions. Her disablity to react quickly and call her wings forth had almost gotten her killed. That was something that could not be allowed to continue. Chikyo might be able to help teach her the basics; Sesshomaru doubted he had the patience to do it himself.

When Sesshomaru finally reached the bedroom, he found that it had been repaired in their absence. The door was back in place and the furniture had been put right. Closing the door behind him with his foot, he set Kagome down on the bed, who'd been uncharacteristically quiet. Sesshomaru stood in front of her, waiting for her to stop staring at her feet. When she finally looked up at him, he was surprised to see looking nervous, waiting for her tongue lashing. Sesshomaru decided she definately needed one.

"That was an extrememly foolish thing to do."

"I know." Her voice quivered slightly.

"Do you have any idea what would have happened if you hadn't been caught?" he demanded, not wanting to even think about the consequences.

"I have a pretty good idea." Her cool answers were pissing him off

"You. Will. Never. Do. That. Again," he hissed, leaning down to her eye level. She looked rather surprised.

"Were you... worried?" she asked. Sesshomaru let loose a small snarl. Yes, he had been worried. But he would drop dead before he admitted it to anyone, including himself. However, he couldn't say no. It was dishonorable to lie. He decided not to answer at all. Instead, he leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers.

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**Okay, everyone, hope this was long enough for you! Please review! Bring me christmas cheer with your words! Tell me if it was too sudden, too cheesy, badly written, TELL ME!**

**Merry x-mas everyone. I LOVE YOU ALL!**


	16. Our Judicial System

**WOOT! THIS IS THE CHAPPIE! Sesshy and Kags shall arrive at the City::does a dance:: thank you to all the incredible people who reviewed and/or favorited and/or put this story on alert! This is one of the longer chappies, nine pages on Word. I hope you all appreciate the time I dedicate to you during my 12-hour car rides to Alabama. Lots of luv and cookies for you all!**

'_blah blah blah'_: mental conversations between Hiroki and Kagome

blah blah blah: conversations between Sesshomaru and his inner beast

_blah blah blah: notes from the editor _

(a/n: blah blah blah): notes from the author

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**Our Judicial System**

**Kagome's P.O.V.**

I have always hated wake up calls. To me, there was nothing worse in the morning that being woken up by the hated alarm clock. Too many times, my mother found me doing a face plant into the floor due to an unexpected awakening. However, that had, at least, been in the morning at a semi-reasonable hour. Even my brother knew better than to try and wake me up before the designated time of 6:30. So, you can imagine my reaction to being awoken at, according to my rather waterlogged watch, 2 AM.

"Sesshomaru, you freaking jackass, it's the fucking middle of the night. What the hell do you want?" I sat up in my bed, woken from my sleep by his hand gripping mine in a bone-breaking grip. Looking over at his face, I realized that he wasn't even awake. The freaking turd liked to torment me even in his sleep! At least he wasn't getting any more solid sleep than I was. His face was twitching and there was sweat on his forehead. I reached out and pressed my hand against his cheek, snatching it back when he let loose a guttural snarl. I winced as his nails pierced the skin of my hand, drawing blood. With a jerk, he sat up in bed, his eyes glowing a fiery red in the darkness. He looked wildly around, not seeing anything.

"Sesshomaru?" He froze, turning his head to look me in the eye. Releasing my hand, he rocked onto his hands and knees and crawling over to me, a wary look in his eyes. As I moved to reach out to him, he snarled again. So I sat unmoving as he crawled over to straddle me and sniffed my neck and hair, only pausing to lick the mark on my neck. When he looked into my face again, I could see the red draining away as he looked into my eyes long and hard. He leaned forward to press his lips to mine before lying back down, an arm wrapped tightly around my waist. I lay there for a long time listening to his breathing. I finally fell asleep as dawn broke.

**Normal P.O.V.**

No_. Sesshomaru snarled at the creature approaching him. It looked like her, it smelled like her, but it wasn't Kagome. This person was an imposter, and they absolutely reeked of blood. The creature continued to approach him, blood dripping from her claws and staining her wings. Sesshomaru lashed out at it. He hadn't felt so… cornered for a long time. He couldn't run. _His_ Kagome was in their somewhere. He couldn't fight then either. But the fake Kagome was getting closer, he'd have to attack if it didn't stop. He snarled again, shifting to the left. The creature mirrored his movements, making it impossible to circle._

"_You must protect her from him, Sesshomaru." A woman appeared over the head of the fake Kagome. She had long, silvery-blonde hair and large blue eyes. Her wings were spread behind her, and she wore a gold circlet around her head that gave off a golden light to match the robe she wore secured with a silk tie. Gently, she took each of the wrists of Kagome in her hands. The creature stopped shifting restlessly from foot to foot, instead it stood up straight, looking calm and uninterested. _

"_This is what she will become if Naraku twists her. A corpse of her former self with no sense of identity, her own or anyone else's. He knows that she's left the hanyou's group and he's sniffing for information as to why. Eventually he will hear of the winged woman who wore such strange clothes, it will not take long. I have thrown my lot in with you. However, my husband," she spat," does not seem to share my confidence in you. He is backing Naraku. You must understand, the Kami cannot interfere in earthly affairs, only advise. We will be in touch. You must be careful Sesshomaru, or this is what you'll be forced to." _

_She released the creature. The instant their skin stopped making contact, the creature stopped looking calm and collected. Instead it dashed across the space between them, its teeth and claws bared. Sesshomaru slashed at it to prevent it making contact with his head. He felt warm blood spurt onto his chest and face as his claws melted their way through her chest._

"_Sesshomaru…" He looked up to find Kagome, _his_ Kagome, staring back at him, tears welling in her eyes as blood dribbled from the corner of her mouth. "Why…?"_

Sesshomaru was ripped from his dream by and hand on his cheek and the smell of blood in his nose. A haze of red clouded his vision, he couldn't see straight. He surged up off his back, searching in a panic for Kagome, she was bleeding… the scent of blood was radiating off his claws; if she died it would be his fault.

"Sesshomaru?" He stopped his frantic search and turned. She was sitting next to him, brown eyes wide with concern and confusion. The false Kagome still lingered in his thoughts and blocked his reason. He moved towards her warily, growling when she made to approach him. He sniffed her hair, licked the branding mark on her neck. Then he stared her in the eye, looking for any sign of something that shouldn't be there. He let out a breath he'd been holding as his senses returned to him. She was safe. He leaned down and kissed her before relaxing back onto the mattress, pulling her with him and holding her tightly by the waist. He fell back to sleep with his nose buried in her hair and her scent in his nose. There were no more nightmares.

**Kagome's P.O.V.**

"Ooof." A couple more shoves and groans later, I was still in a rather uncomfortable position. Did Sesshomaru have any idea how much he weighed? I was flat on my back with Sesshomaru literally on top of me. His legs were wrapped around mine and his hands lay entwined around my waist. His face was next to mine on the pillow. The only response I'd been able to get out of him so far happened whenever I tried to get up. Sesshomaru would growl quietly in his sleep before nuzzling my ear and continuing to ignore me in sleep. It would have been cute if I hadn't been having issues gathering air in my lungs.

"Sesshomaru, the world is ending!" Still no response. I tried again. "There's a hippo on the bed! You've grown a beard! Inuyasha is replacing you as Lord!" I got an affronted growl there, but still no movement. "I'm marrying Jaken!" That one achieved a quiet, throaty chuckle, but no air in my lungs. "I'm pregnant with Hiroki's child!"

"What?" he snarled. I grinned. So his pride wasn't the only thing he and Inuyasha had in common. How disturbing that he cared about that last one more than he did the apocalypse.

"Proper mates do not suffocate their partners, Sesshomaru," I informed him, tutting. "I am surprised and ashamed at your lack of proper mating behavior." I could see him half-roll his eyes before he controlled his less-lordly behavior. Rolling onto his back, he pulled me on top of him before sitting up. I giggled at the sight of him. It was nice to know he wasn't always so lordly. His eyes were large and sleep-glazed and his clothes were disheveled. Sadly, his hair remained pristine and fell immediately back into place. Damn him.

Yawning, I rolled off the bed and grabbed my backpack sitting by the door. Then I turned to Sesshomaru.

"Why are there rips in my backpack?" He looked around from adjusting his clothing to give me a slightly disbelieving look.

"You threw it at me."

"And you took it out on my backpack because…?" He raised an eyebrow.

"If you can recall, you were running from me and in a fit of panic threw it at me. I simply removed the obstacle that was keeping me from catching up."

"Only you could make it my fault," I grumbled, holding the bag up for closer examination. There was no way I'd be able to sew it back together, the fabric was already frayed beyond repair.

"You _threw_ it at me," he repeated, now looking indignant.

"Alright, fine, have it your way. It was completely my fault. Turn around so I can change."

"Don't you think you're being rather chaste considering that I'm your betrothed and have probably seen more of you than any other male alive?" I blushed furiously and threw the brush I had just extracted at him, which he easily avoided.

"It doesn't mean you have to be a perv. So turn around or next I'm throwing a chair." Sesshomaru gave me a satisfied smirk before turning and continuing to fix his haori. As I hunted some jeans and a t-shirt, I looked up to find Sesshomaru standing with his back to me as he slid off his haori while he searched in the wardrobe for a clean outfit. He really did have a nice back… all pale and muscley and smooth. I remembered when I'd run my hands up his back as he ran his tongue down- OKAY STOPPING RIGHT THERE. Oh my fucking god, I'd spent too much time around Miroku…

Sesshomaru turned to find me gaping at him, my mouth hanging open like a startled guppy. He smirked again, guessing why I was drooling, before pulling a fresh shirt on. I dragged my eyes away, having finally located my clothes. As I pulled them on, I wondered how Sesshomaru would look in modern clothes. Would he even wear them? Maybe I could show him how they looked at home… would he be able to get through the well? I could get through because of sacred jewel shards, but Inuyasha had been able to get through because… I had no idea. Maybe since they were related, Sesshomaru would be able to get through too. Hmm.

As I pondered this, I failed to notice Hiroki bounce into the room, therefore earning myself a heart attack when he gave me a friendly, "Good morning!" I shrieked and dropped the shoes I'd been pulling out of my bag. Hiroki caught them and handed them back, laughing. I glared at him and pulled them on.

"You have a very strange tastes in fashion. Where do you even get these kind of clothes?" he asked curiously, eyeing my sneakers.

"Oh, from here and there. What's up?"

"Oh, yeah, Chikyo-san asked me to tell you we're leaving in about an hour, so get dressed and packed and crap. What's this?" he added, pulling a toothbrush out of my bag.

"A toothbrush. It cleans your teeth. Where are we supposed to meet? The courtyard?"

"Uh-huh. I can take your bag out now if you're already packed. Here- what the fucking hell do you have it this thing?!?" he demanded, staggering under the weight of my bag.

"The female necessities. Make sure nothing falls out of the rips, which happen to be courtesy of Sesshomaru." I shot said demon a dirty glare before turning to watch Hiroki stumble out of the room, muttering a constant stream of curses under his breath.

"Ready?" I turned to Sesshomaru in question.

"Huh? For what?"

"The morning meal. You're stomach keeps rumbling, so I assume your hungry." I stuck my tongue out at him.

"Okay, let's go." I marched out of the room, Sesshomaru gliding behind me. I stopped right outside the door.

"Whatever can be the matter Kagome?" he asked in a tone that told me he'd been waiting for this moment when I realized I had no idea where to go.

"Fine, you lead, arrogant, stuffed up prick…" I muttered darkly as he smirked at me and stepped forward to guide us down numerous hallways until we finally found a large room with three long tables in it on variously raised platforms. The grandest was located on the tallest platform, the long side facing us, and had noticeably better food. Chikyo sat at the middle of it, though he stood when we entered.

"Ah, Lord Sesshomaru! How nice to see you, and Kagome too, of course," he added, grinning at the two of us. "I do apologize for our delay last night. But now we can get back on track! Do come have something to eat, we have a long journey," he added, gesturing to two empty chairs on his right. Sesshomaru walked around to the back of the table and up a small set of steps as I followed him. As he settled himself in the chair next to Chikyo, I dropped into the one next to him with a little less decorum. Almost immediately Hiroki appeared next to me. I reached for the nearest dish to pull it towards me. Looking into it, I let out a shriek and fell out of my chair. The dining hall quieted, watching as I clambered back into it.

"What is this stuff?" I muttered to Hiroki, trying to ignore the stares and sniggers I was attracting. I indicated the bowl of what appeared to be the steamed heads of lesser demon worms. Eww…

"It's exactly what it looks like. They're very difficult to catch, and all the very best demon food has been put out for your visit."

"Why?" I asked, determined not to examine anything else at the table. Hiroki grinned.

"Are you sure you completely comprehend the significance of Sesshomaru's position?" I shrugged, wincing as I watched a demon on one of the lower platforms pull apart a small green toad with his teeth.

"I guess I sort of see him as a landlord. I mean, he decides who's a threat, he keeps the lands safe, and he and other nobles decide what's best for them." Hiroki nodded.

"Yes, but he plays a slightly bigger part. He, the nobles, and their personal platoons _are_ the army. There aren't enough full demons left to be risking their lives when they're too young to do any good in the first place. So only the best and most experienced demons are accepted. Now consider that they are selected based on skill, not rank. Sesshomaru had to compete just like anyone else for his position in the army, and he bested them all. So he's the army's General. He's Lord of the West due to his heritage, but he's the army's leader due to skill." I turned to stare at Sesshomaru, slightly awed. Then indignation flared. That meant all those times he and Inuyasha had been fighting, he'd been _toying_ with us!

"Then why are we getting a guard to go through the East if he's the best there is?" I asked, still rather miffed at my revelation. Hiroki sighed.

"He and the General of the East once had a sparing match, and Sesshomaru had him on his back in minutes, and that was the East's best fighter. It was rather terrifying." Seeing her my questioning look, he added," My father took me to see how the 'Royal Army', as he called it, fought. That is, when we still attended court. Anyways, since then, the East hasn't been on very good terms with the West. Both the General and his Lord were humiliated. Sesshomaru is the best there is, but numbers do have substance, so if there were enough demons… it's unlikely, but it's better to be safe."

"So, getting a little more on topic, they put out all their best food because they're afraid he'd kill them otherwise?" I asked, not quite sure how this related to severed demon heads.

"No, that's just out of respect. When you meet the other nobles of the castle, you'll understand what a feat it is to best them. However, based on the quality of the food here, I'd say Chikyo is planning to propose something big at the meeting they're having at the City. He's hoping Sesshomaru will notice so that he can have a bigger say later on. It's not a bribe," he added at my look of outrage. "In the end Sesshomaru will do what's best both politically and result-wise. Chikyo is reminding him of his wealth and importance to the Court. Sesshomaru is going to have to keep that in mind when he decides."

I shook my head. Politics were so messy and underhanded. "But Chikyo has to be careful too, doesn't he," I commented. "If he falls too out of favor with the other nobles, it's going to backfire on him. Instead of having a plausible threat, he's just going to be an out-of-favor noble." I whistled low and long. "That's a big risk to take."

Hiroki made a small noise of agreement in his throat. A voice in my ear made me jump.

"You need to eat." I turned to look at Sesshomaru, who was watching me with amusement as I cringed away from the food on the table. Reaching to his left, he handed me a large, empty bowl and began dumping any human food he could find into it. As I watched him dump shrimp and seasoned chicken on top of a large pile of rice, I felt a warm glow in my stomach that had nothing to do with finally receiving edible food. "Here." I looked up to find his turned towards me in his chair, chopsticks in hand as he offered me a slice of pickled cucumber. I blushed.

"I can feed myself," I muttered, reaching for the food with my own utensils. Sesshomaru pulled the food away and fixed me with a firm stare.

"It is traditional that a mate provide for his partner. Now open your mouth."

"I don't need you to feed me like I can't take care of myself," I growled. He started to argue, then stopped.

"Fine," he said coolly, and popped it into his mouth. I opened mine to lecture him about hogging the only edible food when he leaned forward and kissed me, slipping the cucumber into my mouth before I realized what was happening. Pulling back, he gave me a grin, something I'd only see him do once or twice. "There. That wasn't so bad, was it?"

I just glared.

------------------------------------(bar line thing)---------------------------------

"How are we supposed to be traveling with Chikyo-san's guard if were a hundred feet above their heads and a couple miles ahead?" I asked as Sesshomaru hefted my yellow backpack onto his youkai cloud. It was Hiroki who answered.

"Neko's are notorious for their ability to be light of foot. They'll be able to keep up, and Chikyo is going to be traveling with us for extra protection."

"What do you mean notorious?" I asked suspiciously. Sesshomaru chose to answer this one.

"When they first traveled from the mainland, they established themselves as a group of assassins. They were mostly used against the West by enemies since we were and still are," he smirked," The most powerful of the lands. Ever wonder why dogs hate cats? They don't forget." He paused as one of Chikyo's guards approached him, and, with a low bow, presented him with a thick cloak. As he walked away, Sesshomaru tossed it to me. "Wear that. We'll have to keep to the mountains for a while."

I looked around the courtyard for the last time. I couldn't quite say I was glad to be leaving. I was the next thing Sesshomaru pulled up onto his cloud as Hiroki leapt on behind me. Next came Chikyo wearing his fighting clothes and katana at his hip. He then turned to help, to my surprise, Hikaeme **(a/n: how sad is this; I couldn't remember the name of the girl Kagome met at the hot springs, so I tried my best to come as close as I could. But just to make it clear, this is the girl from the hot springs****** onto the cloud. I waved when she spotted me, and we sat together. I was leaning against Sesshomaru's rigid-as-always back as she knelt next to me, with occasional nervous glances at Sesshomaru.

"I see you were able to survive then," she murmured with a small smile. I returned it and laughed.

"I suppose you could say that. I was running in the courtyard and I tripped on that top step." She gasped.

"Oh my god, are you alright? That's horrible, those things are practically a mountain on their own, especially for a human…" I stuck my tongue out at her.

"Yeah, Sesshomaru caught me though. So he gave me a lecture and made me go to bed early as punishment." I rolled my eyes and she laughed. Rather suddenly, the youkai cloud rose. I tipped to the side and grabbed Sesshomaru as support. He pulled me back up onto my butt and motioned to Hiroki, who nodded and sat to my right, so that the two of them formed a wall to prop me up and keep me away from the edge. I grumbled that I wasn't a toddler in need of a playpen, but gave up at their looks of confusion and curiosity.

While Hikaeme and I chatted idly about anything that came to our minds, Sesshomaru and, rather surprisingly, Hiroki, were murmuring to each other in lowered voices along with Chikyo. I could guess the subject of their discussion since they kept glancing at me. Chikyo looked skeptical and was shaking his head, Hiroki defensive, even angry, while Sesshomaru stayed as impassive as ever. Chikyo turned to him and muttered something else, to which Sesshomaru responded in a calm and confident voice. Hiroki laughed quietly and Chikyo let out a low hiss.

"What are they on about?" whispered Hikaeme out of the corner of her mouth, pretending to be exploring my bag to cover the sounds of our discussion from any annoyingly oversensitive ears.

"Who knows? Probably something male from the way they keep glancing at us," I said, grinning when she blushed. "You know, I think Chikyo is looking at you," I added, and was surprised when she turned scarlet. "What, something wrong with that?"

"N-no," she mumbled, looking anywhere but at me. I watched her for a moment before the epiphany came to me.

"You like him don't you?" I asked in a would-be casual voice. Hikaeme jumped and shook her head violently.

"No! Absolutely not! I haven't even spoken to him… much. And in case you haven't noticed he is a quite… able with women. He always talks and flirts with them, then when I say hello, he just gives me a polite response and walks away! Then sometimes he'll call me to his office just to ask me how the tea is coming. And yesterday, when you were arriving, he said the hot springs would probably be empty and that I should go take advantage of them while he 'deals' with the guests. I just don't understand it…" I stared at her, wondering how she could miss such obvious signs.

"He likes you, baka! No, listen," I said when she started to protest. "He can't say more than hello because he's embarrassed and doesn't know what to say. He calls you to his office to attempt conversation, but gets intimidated and gives up, and he sent you to the bath because he thought we were going to try and fight him! He didn't want you at risk! Oh, you know it's true," I told her, laughing as she tried to appear incredulous to hide her hope.

"She's right. It's so obvious," came an unexpected male voice. Hikaeme jumped and dropped my bag. I let out a breathless shriek and toppled backwards. Sesshomaru pulled me back up and dumped me into the lap of Hiroki, not even glancing away from the conversation he was having with Chikyo.

"Sorry," apologized Hiroki with a grin. "But she's right, Hikaeme, unless you're embellishing something, he's got it bad." He chuckled as Hikaeme blushed lightly. "Not to mention, well first, have you guessed what we were arguing about?"

"Herpes!" I guessed. Hiroki turned to stare at me. "Oh fine. But I know it had something to do with one or both of us. You guys suck at being discreet." Hiroki grinned.

"Yeah, I know. Chikyo mentioned that he didn't think such a spitfire like you would be included in Sesshomaru's tastes, and Sesshomaru said that it had nothing to do with anything, and I thought Chikyo was sort of hinting that you were unsuitable, and he said it had nothing to do with that. So Sesshomaru said that he never thought he'd go a quiet girl like Hikaeme, and he just goes, 'Yeah, well, shows what you know.' Then, realizing what he said, he stepped out of the conversation"

Hiroki and I both clutched each other to stay sitting upright, laughing at Hikaeme's shocked expression. I loved being a romantic go-between. Speaking of romance… I was bored as hell. Sesshomaru was sitting in the middle of the cloud looking as bored as I felt. I crawled over to him and sat next to him, smiling when he turned to look at me. His lips twitched and he pulled me onto his lap and kissed the top of my head as I asked," So how far is the Western City?"

"At the base of this mountain. Technically, right now we're in Eastern Lands, but we should be at the border of the Western Lands in a few minutes. It will be a short distance to the City from there. What are you so gleeful about?" I was watching a glancing contest occurring between Hikaeme and Chikyo from opposite ends of the youkai cloud. Look up, catch their eye, look away, blush, and repeat. It was very amusing.

"Ah, you've noticed? They've known each other since childhood you know. Chikyo's about two centuries older than I am, and when I was young, I would watch him try to woo her in some of the most blatantly obvious ways, flowers and sweets. He even tried singing to her once, but I had the impression she tried to strangle him with his mandolin strings." I tried to picture the quiet Hikaeme strangling the flamboyant Chikyo and giggled. Either he was a terrible singer or had tried it at some ungodly hour…

Sesshomaru's lips twitched again at my expression. "He still hasn't told anyone exactly what happened, and she hasn't said a word to the contrary. Eventually he gave up on wooing her outright and attempted to impress her instead. That ended in a few broken limbs, and he almost lost something I'm sure he'd miss _very_ dearly as a man. I believe about three decades ago, he decided to try and make her jealous, which is why he's such a flirt. He's never gone any farther than that, though. However, I'm inclined to think she might be taking it the wrong way. She hasn't been to Court since he started trying."

I rolled my eyes. "Didn't you try to do anything to help? Summon her back to Court, tell him it wasn't working, lock them in a room for three days with some string… anything at all?" Sesshomaru snorted, which was rather un-lordly.

"I do not interfere in the Court's intrigues. I prefer to keep it as impersonal as possible, not immerse myself in the long chain of he-said, she-said."

"Some friend you are," I grumbled under my breath. "You're really a piece of work, do you know that? Something twisted and melty." Sesshomaru grunted under his breath.

"Than you would be something disturbing and bloated."

"DO YOU WANT TO DIE?"

"Do stop shouting, _dearest_," he asked sarcastically. I grudgingly settled back in his lap, muttering darkly, only to be hefted to my feet as Sesshomaru stood. "Hiroki, you packed it?"

"Yep. Ah, I can't wait to see what she'll do to you when you make her wear it," he sighed dreamily. I looked nervously from one to the other.

"Wear what?" Sesshomaru was pilfering through my backpack and a moment later produced a square, tied bag of cloth. Untying it, he pulled out a folded kimono, complete with socks and sandals. I stared at the delicate needlework and fine fabrics before looking into Sesshomaru's face in utter horror. "You want me to wear that? As in stay upright in it? _Are you trying to kill me?_ I'll dent my face trying to walk in that!"

Ignoring Hiroki's sniggering, Sesshomaru told me, "This is your first appearance as my betrothed, let's make it a positive one. We won't look while you change."

"I supposed to change here? Now?" I asked, mortified. Sesshomaru sighed.

"We'll have our backs turned."

"And I can hold your cloak in front of you as a curtain while you change," added Hikaeme, walking over and unlatching it from my shoulders. I offered her a weak smile and shot all three of the guys the dirtiest glares I could muster. As she held the cloak in front of me and Sesshomaru, Hiroki, and Chikyo relocated to the other side of the cloud, backs to me, I struggled into the kimono and accessories, though in the end, Hikaeme had to tie the obi. Sesshomaru turned to look at me, eyes calculating. Then he turned to Hikaeme.

"Do you know how to do the Woven Tail?" he asked. She gaped at him for a moment before nodding slowly. "Do that with her hair then." As we knelt down and she began work on my hair I muttered,

"What was that about my hairdo?"

"It's a style of braid, but by request of Lord InuTashio-sama, it wasn't worn for many years. Eventually, people either forgot how to do it or were worried about breaking the tradition."

"Why did Sesshomaru's father ask that it not be worn?"

"Well, mainly out of respect for his Lady after her death. Lord Sesshomaru-sama hated it whenever one of the ladies at court tried to replicate his mother's favorite style, so Lord InuTashio asked that no one wear it for a while to appease him. And no one has since, especially after Lord Sesshomaru-sama became Lord… it was just such a personal thing for him when he was young." She released me and relocated her hands to her lap, smiling. "It _does_ look very good on you, especially with your kimono. The Lord has very good tastes." I reached up to feel my head, but she slapped my hand away.

"Okay, okay, no touching," I grinned. She stood, pulling me to my feet.

"Well, well, well, don't you look quite the lady," Hiroki commented, grinning. I gave him a punch in the arm. "But you still have yet to act like one." He stuck his tongue out at me and bounded to the edge of the cloud, peering down below us. Sesshomaru let out a long sigh and I turned to look at him. He was smiling. Not grinning or smirking, but smiling, soft and happy.

"We're home."

**Yay! Chapter 16 complete! But before you guys go, I have a poll for everyone to add to your reviews!**

**POLL!!!!!!! 1) Should I get Hikaeme and Chikyo a little more involved with the plot, or keep them as side characters? 2) Kagome: rejected or accepted at Court? Of course, there will be a few people on either side, but what do you guys think the overall feel should be? Pleaseeeeee review and let me know! Lots of luv!**

**Ciao!**


	17. A Rude Awakening

**Okay, first, let me give everyone who wait so patiently for this chappie a HUGE FREAKING APPOLOGY!! I couldn't believe how long it's been since I updated, so I decided to put as much plot into this chapter as I could to try and make up for it!! Thank you to all my readers who've dealt with my laziness and stuck with me so far!**

**More Than Politics**

**Chapter 2: Welcome Home**

**Kagome's P.O.V.**

I looked at our caravan's surroundings and began to worry for Sesshomaru's sanity. We were approaching the largest of the mountains where a large arch had been carved into the side. There was no opening under it, instead a sheet of flat, smooth stone with three sword-shaped indentations in it lined up in a vertical column. The demon cloud landed gently in front of it, where a large group of nekos were already waiting, forming a circle around us as we all dismounted. Chikyo bounced down and helped Hikaeme down with a flourish. Hiroki followed and turned to stand guard as Sesshomaru helped me down in case my klutziness overpowered him. 

There was no sign of anyone anywhere, and I couldn't sense anyone other than the distant animal prowling the surrounding mountainside. It was completely silent, not even the sounds of birds to break the eerie quiet. Sesshomaru stood frozen next to me, staring at the stone door. 

"Wha-?" I began, wondering why he was just standing there, why we were all staring at a blocked door, why we were in the middle of the mountains..

"I haven't entered the City for almost three years. It's not very long for a demon, but its a long time to be away from the Western seat." I took his hand in mine, smiling slightly at the child-like eagerness on his face. 

"Why couldn't you get back in? You're the Western Lord, what happened?" I asked quietly as Chikyo came to stand by me. 

"He sealed it. We could all feel Naraku's power gathering." I was a little surprised he knew of Naraku, though I supposed my small group couldn't be the only ones aware of him. "It would be complete chaos if he managed to absorb the stronger demons."

"That's why you haven't met very many of them," Sesshomaru continued, finally looking away from the door. "All of the civilized demons, the subjects of the Western Lands, were gathered into the City as protection against him. I sealed it from the outside so that the City and the inhabitants would remain safe until I could retrieve Tetsusaiga from Inuyasha. You need all three swords to open the door, you see. Once I had all three, I could defeat Naraku and allow everyone to return to their homes without the worry of whether or not they'd be murdered in their sleep. Of course, it didn't turn out quite as I'd planned," he finished, his lips twitching in my direction. 

Hiroki came up behind me and clapped me on the shoulder. "It's gonna be complete pandemonium when you guys just suddenly appear inside the City. 'Oh, yeah, the Western Lord is back, he's mated, with his father's swords, and an entourage of nekos, our despised enemy.' I'm sure that's going to go over really well with the Court," he commented with a snort. "How do you know that the City hasn't been destroyed from within? There could be some fat old demon sitting in your throne right now decreeing that your father's shrine be removed."

This thought seemed to spur Sesshomaru into action. His lip curled slightly and he glided over to the door, the nekos scrambling to remove themselves from his path. He unsheathed Tokijin first, and pressed it, hilt up, into the bottom slot.

"Hell," he breathed quietly, then drawing Tetsusaiga and setting it into the middle indent.

"Earth." He drew Tenseiga, the final sword, and pushed it into the upper-most slot.

"Heaven."

The stone reacted immediately, shuddering violently before glowing a brilliant blue outlining Sesshomaru's figure as he stood against it. A white line shot down the center and announced the crack that split the sheet of rock into two doors, which swung open into a dark tunnel that looked as tall as the mountain itself. Sesshomaru glided through the arch, pulling me with him, leaving the rest to follow. Our footsteps echoed off the ceiling, so high up that I couldn't make it out. Everyone was quiet, the tension building, until I tripped on the edge of my kimono and fell with a shriek that made everyone in the vicinity jump. Hiroki laughed heartily as Sesshomaru picked me back up off my butt and Hikaeme came forward to help guide me using her demonic vision in the gloom. I longed for my bow, but it was in one of our packs a few nekos behind us, and now wasn't the time to search for it. 

The end of the tunnel was discovered when Hiroki accidentally walked right into the door that separated us from the City. I pulled Hiroki, who was swearing viciously and rubbing his nose, aside to make room as Sesshomaru moved forward and pressed his hand against the stone. 

"Open," he whispered. They responded with a groan, creaking anciently as they made way for our group. For a moment, I was blinded as my eyes met a blinding white light. My grip on Sesshomaru's hand tightened as I heard the familiar sounds that I hadn't expected. 

"CHICKEN, FRESH MEAT, ON SALE!"

"BAKED BREAD, HOT OFF THE OVEN!"

"CUT FLOWERS, EVERY VARIETY!" 

The shouts of sellers and the bustling of villagers halted immediately as they comprehended the sight before them. As my vision cleared I could seem them all, spread out in front of us in a large, stone-paved circle surrounded by larger than life sculptures of inuyokai, whose heads supported a large, traditional-Japanese roof that allowed slots of sunlight to filter through and light the pavilion. Carts were set up in long rows with buyers milling between them. Or, at least they had been. Now they were all frozen, every eye upon us. 

Sesshomaru broke the silence.

"_What_," he hissed, his voice icy, "is going on?" The cold fury in his voice drove the crowd to react. Almost immediately, many of the poorer looking villagers fell to their knees and kowtowed furiously, apologizing profusely. There were also a few demons among the crowd, who bowed deeply before moving to greet their Lord. The first to reach us was a small, slender demoness with long, flowing red hair and large green eyes. Behind me, I felt Hiroki tense. When she reached Sesshomaru, she bowed again, a look of shock on her face. 

"My Lord-" she began, her voice quivering as she stared at his feet, unable to meet his golden eyes, which were burning with anger. Sesshomaru's hand was clutching mine, which had gone numb. I pretended not to notice and focused on appearing ladylike and controlled. I was Lady of the Western Lands, and this was the first time my people would see me. But I could see immediately what had made Sesshomaru so infuriated. 

Located to the left and right sides of the circle were six towering statues. I studied them, recognizing the last: InuTashio. 

We were in a shrine.

They'd set up a _market_ in a royal shrine. The shrine of Sesshomaru's ancestors. And this woman, who was wearing clothes that betrayed her aristocratic connection, along with other officials, had allowed them to.

Holy shit. Heads were going to roll. Sesshomaru seemed to be thinking along these lines.

"You will have these people cleared out, along with their goods. While someone takes care of that, you will assemble the entire Court. Everyone is to be in attendance, no exceptions. There is going to be hell to pay for this disrespect." He leveled her with a malevolent gaze that made me shiver slightly. The movement reminded him of my presence. He relaxed his grip on my hand and met my worried gaze with a blank gaze that refused to let me see his emotions. I couldn't stand that look.

Ignoring our gaping audience, I rocked onto my tiptoes and placed a gentle kiss on his lips, hoping to help. He stared at me for a moment, then quirked a brow. I grinned at him and turned to talk to Hiroki. 

"Hey," I said, giving him a punch in the arm to get his attention. He was still staring at the demoness, who was giving hurried instructions to surrounding guards in a white and red samurai uniform, who immediately began clearing out stalls to make a path for Sesshomaru. Hiroki looked down at me, as though surprised to see me there. 

"Oh, hey," Hiroki replied, still struggling to return to the present. "Well, this certainly wasn't what I was expecting, walking in on a market. What's all the fuss about?" he asked, indicating the people scrambling to clear their carts before fear-stricken soldiers came to demolish them in an attempt to appear obedient. 

"Do you know where we are right now?" I asked him, giving him a chance to look around before he shook his head. "This is the royal shrine. That last statue over there is Sesshomaru's father," I murmured as Hiroki's eyes widened.

"Oh. Well, fuck." I nodded my agreement as Sesshomaru walked over to me and nudged my arm. 

"We're going. Alert Chikyo that we're going to attend a Court session. I need to talk to Megami," he said, glaring at the red-head, who was standing in the middle of the chaos, unnaturally pale. 

Megami... the name sounded familiar. Where had I heard it before? Megami, Megami, Mega- wait! I remembered Hiroki describing a demoness from his Court days to me. They'd been... betrothed. Oh my god. I swung back around to stare at Hiroki, who had returned to watching Megami, a pained expression on his face. I ran up to him and gave him a tackle hug that made him stagger before I released him. 

"What the-?" he began but I cut him off. 

"She probably just made a stupid mistake, okay? Don't tear yourself up about it before we know what happened," I instructed, waiting as he deciphered my words. He grinned suddenly.

"You're so wise Kagome," he sighed in mock-admiration. I gave him a good toe-stomp before going to find Chikyo, who was standing next to an uncomfortable Hikaeme as he edged close and she shifted away. 

"Chikyo-san! Sesshomaru asked me to tell you that there's going to be a Court session with everyone there, no exceptions," I called. He straightened up, nodded, and whistled sharply. The nekos who'd accompanied us, leaped up from their lounging spots against the cave wall and formed a circle around Hikaeme and me. Hiroki joined us a few seconds later, followed by Sesshomaru. It had been a long time since I'd seen him so detached and... unapproachable. If looks could kill, almost everyone within view would be dead. I could see Megami over his shoulder, looking like she was about to faint... or scream. 

He looked around, spotted me, and surged forward until we were chest to chest. He lowered his head and gently bit the branding mark on my neck, before licking it gently and positioning himself next to me, retreating back behind his more-kick-ass-than-thou expression. We pushed our way silently through the villagers, trying to clear a path without resorting to throwing people out of the way. It was when we finally reached the other side of the pavilion that I could see the Western City itself. 

For one thing, it was much larger than I'd imagined: a small village with a large palace. No, this was actually a _city_. There was a large set of carved stone steps in front of us that led down the mountainside to a large, green plateau. Around the edges were distant farmland, small patches of brown against the forests. Closer to the center was a large expanse of small houses, situated on the outer rim, while closer in were large mansions. There, in the very center, was a towering building... or buildings. It was surrounded by a deep river with a large bridge that led to the first building. There were a total of seven all connected by bridges. The largest one was in the center, the other six circled around it. 

As Sesshomaru led the way down the stairs, he pointed out different buildings in the distance. 

"The largest building in the middle is the Hall of the White Inu," he said, smiling slightly at my raised eyebrow. "You have to remember whose city you're in. We mostly refer to it as just the Hall. The slightly smaller one in front is the Reception Hall. To the left of that, the big black and red one with lots of doors is the training dojo. That's where all my soldiers work their asses off if they want to keep them."

"Sesshomaru! Are you saying you want their asses? I didn't know..." I trailed off, laughing as he hissed angrily. "Anywho, what's the blue and gold building next to the dojo?"

"The Royal Library. Not a lot of people go in there except for visiting scholars and myself. I hate whenever someone misreads someone and delivers incorrect information," he stated smoothly.

"God forbid someone make an honest mistake in an attempt to please you," I muttered. Sesshomaru ignored this, continuing as if he hadn't heard.

"On the right of the Reception Hall, the green and white, that's the Guest Palace. It's not as big as the Hall, but it's just as luxurious. That's where Chikyo and his personal servants will be staying. The others will go to the soldier barracks, they're in the dojo." 

"Where's Hikaeme staying? She can't stay with the _soldiers,_" I told him, appalled at the very thought of gentle Hikaeme surrounded by drunk men and demons with swords. Sesshomaru looked affronted at my tone.

"There's no reason to say that like warriors are a disease," he grumbled. "Besides, there's a womens' section, she won't be indecently near them."

"No way! No... wait... where would my personal servants be?" He frowned at me.

"Next door to your bedroom in the Hall. Were you about to suggest we put her there?" he asked, cutting me off.

"Well, yeah. She could be like, my personal advisor or something. I think it's good idea." Sesshomaru shrugged slightly. 

"It makes no difference to me." Then he grinned at me. "But it would be much more difficult to sneak in and out of your bedroom discreetly at night." I made to stick my knee where it wouldn't be much appreciated, but he nimbly side-stepped me.

"Pervert," I grumbled as we reached the bottom of the steps. Looking at the long road that lead to the Palace, I groaned. "Geez, the city is like its own country. Damn." Hiroki came up behind us and poked me in the back.

"Maybe you're getting out of shape, Kags," he suggested innocently. I narrowed my eyes at him as he stepped back out of reach. "I'm just saying, that kimono looks a little tight." 

"I am going to knee you so hard your balls are going to be inside-out. Just wait until I get my bow, you little-" Sesshomaru put his finger to my lips and motioning to Chikyo and Hikaeme, who separated themselves away from the group to come over. 

"We need to move a little quicker. I'll take Kagome and Hikaeme, Hiroki, you follow Chikyo to the Reception Hall. Find Captain Jibun and explain what's happening. Let no one into the Hall until I say. I need to be updated before this begins. Take attendance, _ make sure _everyone's there." He turned to the group of nekos, waiting for orders behind us. 

"Everyone is to report to the barracks in the dojo. If you let you tongue loose, I will personally rip it out. Dismissed." The second he said it, they were gone. "Let's go."

-oOo- 

I had expected to not know what to expect. What I hadn't expected was the nauseating fear that gripped my stomach as our small group approached the doors to the Reception hall. They had been pushed wide open and were flanked by uniformed demons who were twitching nervously. Hikaeme, who was walking next to me behind Sesshomaru, took my arm with hers and patted it reassuringly. Sesshomaru shot me a slightly amused glance, and I could see the chalky pallor my face had taken on reflected in his eyes. 

The Reception Hall was basically a vast entertaining area. There were a lot of chairs positioned strategically around the room, and doors that faced the direction of the building that Sesshomaru had indicated was the Dining Hall, allowing servants to bring trays. A large waterfall, of all things, covered most of the opposite wall. Sesshomaru led us purposefully towards it, and as he neared, the water split to reveal a stone bridge that led through to the Hall of the White Inu.

A crowd had gathered inside. A vast group that was pressed against the walls, murmuring to each other fearfully. I gasped slightly as their auras pressed suffocatingly against mine. Just by standing there doing nothing these demons felt like a threat. Sesshomaru paused for a moment just outside the thresh-hold. In my mind I heard a mental _click _as Sesshomaru released what I realized was his full aura. What I normally sensed from him had nothing on this. It forced the others' back, filling the room. The gentle hum of voices halted instantly.

He walked down the center of the room, demons parting silently before him, until he reached a raised dais in the middle of the room. On it was a simple, black-wood throne. As he stood by and turned to face the crowd I realized he didn't need the elaborate decoration to intimidate. His face was was blank except for a small, twisted smirk at the corner of his mouth. A collective shudder went around the room. 

"I call the Court to order," he said quietly, pausing as, with a ruffle of cloth, everyone sank to a low bow before straightening and organizing into an orderly group of rows. Many of the demons wearing the more expensive clothing were in the front, while the poorer ones were in the back. 

"Bring Megami to me." The demoness from the shrine moved silently through the crowd until she stood alone in front of Sesshomaru. Dropping immediately into a low curtsy, she waited, trembling, and cowered slightly as he settled himself in the throne. "Explain yourself." 

"I... my Lord... I beg your forgiveness!" she gasped, tears welling in her eyes. "We believed you dead when you didn't return after a few months! There was no word from outside, and we couldn't break the seal..." Sesshomaru held up his hand a silenced her. 

"Explain the disrespect that has been brought to both myself and my ancestors," he challenged quietly. Something ugly flashed in Megami's eyes as she struggled to find a suitable excuse. 

"We... we wish to honor you by holding a festival," she said stiffly. A small smile formed on Sesshomaru's face as he looked down at her, and something malicious flashed in his amber orbs. 

"You're lying to me," he mused idly. "I also wish to know why almost one third of the Royal Treasury is gone. Was it to bring more glory to my family's name?" he asked, his voice dripping sarcasm as Megami's face paled. "Captain Jibun," he motioned to a small, pixie-like demon, who stepped forward and unrolled a piece of parchment that had been tucked under his arm. 

"10,000 removed to pay for the refurbishing of the Reception Hall

"10,000 removed to pay for a mass amount of food for the City

"20,000 removed to pay for the construction of two more barracks..."

The list went on and on. Sesshomaru waited until the Captain had finished, then made a slightly disparaging noise in his throat.

"I would be most honored," he said mockingly, "If someone could please instruct me as to where the seven newly erected barracks are. Or when I might view the new fleet of ships that were purchased? Or, perhaps, the new steel swords that were ordered?" His gaze frosted over. "I don't suppose that it occurred to any of you select few that that money is actually _used_ for something? It is used to prevent certain things such as..." A pale, sickly looking demon from the back of the room moved forward, and cleared his throat nervously. Sesshomaru nodded gently in encouragement, and the demon's back straightened. 

"My daughter was abducted by rogues while our village waited for the supplies that were supposed to arrive at our ports. We were caught by surprise because we'd been on the main road, which was supposed to be carefully guarded." A glimmer of tears shone in his eyes. "She was raped and butchered. I do not know where her body lies." 

A ripple of shock spread through the crowd. My hands clutched the sleeves of my kimono convulsively, and I suddenly longed to be closer to Sesshomaru. As if sensing this, Sesshomaru's gaze slid to meet mine for a moment before he refocused his attention on Megami. 

"The troops that were supposed to be guarding that road weren't there. They weren't there because they were never sent. The weren't sent, because the money to transport and supply them hadn't been given to their general. This is the result. I know there are more than this pathetic woman who played a hand in this treachery towards me and the Western Lands. Until I have spoken with my counsels and weeded you out, all travel to and from the City is banned. Anyone caught trying to disobey will be punished." 

Suddenly, unexpectedly, Sesshomaru disappeared. A second later, he reappeared right in front of Megami's frozen form, having moved so fast that I'd lost slight of him. Calmly, he pulled her to her feet. 

"Th-thank you my Lord," she gasped. "You benevolence-" She was cut of as Sesshomaru plunged his hand through her stomach, emerging on the other side covered in blood. Her eyes widened, staring into the blood-red eyes that looked down at her before, with a final shudder, she collapsed. 

"Let this be a warning to many and premonition to others. Death is what waits for traitors. I call this Court session to an end. We will reconvene tomorrow at noon. All are to be in attendance." Turning, he motioned to me and Megami and walked down the dais and down a long hallway on the other side of the room, his claws still dripping blood.

**Okay, I know it got kinda... dark near the ending there, but there has to be a bit of ****drama, and it kinda adds a bit more volume to the plot. So now Sesshy's got his kingdom, Naraku, and that dream he had to worry about. I'm so sorry that this took so long to write, writer's block can really be a bitch. But I'm on spring break for now, so hopefully I can get back on track. **_**Please review**_**!! tell me, OOC, crappy, confusing... maybe even good? Tell me!**

**ciao**


	18. Friends Are Made?

Well, surprise surprise, I'm writing another chappie on the road

**Well, surprise surprise, I'm writing another chappie on the road. What can I say? My creativity is brought on by desperate boredom. The only difference is that this time I have absolutely no idea where I want to go with this- my notes are at home -.- so we're winging it this chapter! Also, this chapter marks a special event. **

**A little late, we are celebrating "More Than Politics" 's one-year anniversary! I wanted to give everyone who's stuck with me through it a HUGE thank-you. I feel like I've really grown as a writer through your criticism and encouragement, and I can't tell you all how much it has helped me! **

**So on to chapter 18, and also a huge apology for taking so long to update "**

Ch. 18: Bless You

**Kagome's P.O.V.**

It was official.

I was going to have to kill Sesshomaru -which really was a shame, I do love him. But he'd brought my wrath down upon himself when he decided that I wasn't capable of conducting myself and locked me in the private rooms of the Hall.

The Hall was actually separated into two sections: the formal and private rooms. The formal ones were meant for gatherings, parties, etc. The private rooms were where the royalty and their personal servants lived. I was told by Hikaeme that very few visitors were permitted past the gates that separated the sections. The front halls meant for guests and visitors and were decorated in a dramatic and expensive fashion while the private suites were much cleaner in that the furniture was simple but comfortable and well laid out.

I was stretched out on the bed of one of the master rooms. The back of the Hall was mostly just bedrooms, with a large main room for private visitors and Sesshomaru's office and personal library. The office was near the front since that was where most visitors were taken, with the sitting room next door. Behind those two rooms was a long hallway, at the end of which was the master apartment that Sesshomaru and I shared. Next to us, on the left and right, were two smaller but just as carefully decorated sets of rooms meant for our personal body servants. I could hear Hikaeme's muffled movements through the wall to my left as she looked around her new rooms. Silence came from my right; though I was sure Hiroki was in there. But I doubted he was in any mood to appreciate the décor.

Standing, I moved from the large bedroom to the "bathroom." It was actually an outdoor spring, carefully carved with designs of inuyoukai around the edge. The opposite wall was actually a bamboo fence, but on one of the palace's stone walls was the statue of an inuyoukai that had a waterfall spilling from its open mouth into a wide, shallow basin on the floor making a sort of shower, the spillway leading back to the spring.

I caught a glance of my reflection in the polished stone of the basin and was surprised by who stared back. I had to admit, the kimono Sesshomaru had given me did suit very well, and my hair had been done up in a complicated braided bun. I almost felt guilty as I pulled my hair free and stripped of the many-layered kimono, laying it on a stone bench by the door. I slipped into the simmering water, feeling it work wonders for my tensed muscles.

When we had left the Hall, it had been to complete silence. No one had dared even twitch as Sesshomaru had passed them, Hikaeme and me following behind him. I was relieved to know that not too many people had paid attention to us, their minds too muddled by fear and shock to notice the two girls that had followed their Lord out. We had walked down a wide hall to a set of doors not unlike those at the neko village. A set of guards had bowed deeply before pulling them open, grunting quietly. Sesshomaru had showed Hikaeme and me to the rooms, then said that he had to meet with the Captain to "catch up with each other." Giving me a lingering kiss and an order to stay on this side of the gates, he disappeared back down the hall.

"Lady Kagome." I jumped as somebody said my name. Whipping around, I saw an older woman in her early fifties standing by the door, staring straight at me. She had long, slivery hair pulled into a long braid and bangs that fell into her eyes. She was wearing a kimono with sliver dog demons dancing across a red background. A small army of uniformed women were standing behind her, shuffling uneasily when I glanced over at them. The woman coughed, a look of fixed superiority was plain on her face. I sank a little lower into the water before answering.

"Uh, yes?" Oh yeah, I was really letting my regalness shine through wasn't I? The woman barely inclined her head, then said, "Hurry up girl. You are expected in the Hall very soon." With that and a disdainful smirk, she stalked back through the door, the girls following. For a moment I sat in complete silence, not moving before I asked the statue,

"What the hell?"

I soaked for a few more minutes before rinsing my hair with a thick shampoo that was in a pitcher by the edge of the bath and smelled heavily of mint, and climbing out. As I entered my bedroom, I was descended upon by the uniformed demons. With a chorus of, "My apologies, Lady!" at my surprised shriek, they yanked my towel away and herded me over to a large vanity in the corner of the room. I dropped into the chair as two girls attacked me with towels to dry my hair. Once they finished, the towels were dropped down a chute that was disguised as a decorative pot.

Next a woman armed with a white, knee-length linen under dress appeared, pulling it over my head, which was followed by a red undershirt over it. Now that I was decently covered for the moment, the group withdrew, lining up along the wall. Taking advantage of my reprieve, I gave them a glance over.

Most of them wore white mid-shin kimonos with black edges and Sesshomaru's House insignia was on the back. However, two of the girls, twins, wore the same dress but in silver, and one, at the very end of the line closest to me, wore it in red.

The woman stepped forward, gliding over to me and looking me over, before she nodded to the demon in red.

"The gold and red one, Hana."

"Yes, Lady," she murmured, bowing and moving toward the wardrobe on the other side of the room. As she rummage around there, I decided that I should at least attempt conversation.

"Are you one of the castle residents?" I asked her carefully, causing her to turn and give me a mildly surprised look mixed with some amusement.

"Sesshomaru warned me that you weren't very aware of Court politics, but I was unaware that your nativity was this severe, girl." She reached up to brush her bangs away from her face as she spoke, revealing a crescent moon in the center of her forehead. "I am Lady Tashio- Lord InuTashio's first Mate and Sesshomaru's mother. As you are now his Mate, I have come to help you adjust to the ways of the Western Palace and Court."

Oh. Well fuck. But somehow, I felt I should have guessed the second she started talking.

At that moment, Hana returned with a long, traditional kimono that was a deep gold with red butterflies dancing along the edges and sleeves. A large red obi was then laid next to it, and the sandals on the floor. Lady Tashio gestured for me to stand up then walked back over to the doors.

"I shall return when you are dressed. We are then expected in the Hall for the evening meal and then a meeting with Sesshomaru's councilors. Afterwards, I wish to speak with you at greater length in my apartments." With that, she walked out, shutting the door firmly behind her.

The moment she left, the maids seemed to tense. I glanced back over at them and saw that they were looking back at me fearfully. I counted six in all, and they were all demons. Then the girl, Hana, stepped forward and sank to the floor in a low bow. The others followed suit.

"Lady Kagome, we are your personal ladies-in-waiting assigned to you by the Lord. We hope you are pleased." I stood there for a moment in shock before letting out a small, nervous laugh.

"There's really no need for you all to bow like that. You can stand up…" At this they rose up onto their knees but didn't stand.

"I am Hana, Lady," she said, then gestured to the other two in silver who both bowed again quickly.

"We are Mizune and Hikari, Lady," they said together, fixing me with their pale silver eyes. The other three behind them repeated the process, introducing themselves as Seiya, Kiira, and Mayou. Afterwards, Hana picked up, saying,

"We will help your dress for the meal tonight and escort you down." I gaped at her slightly, horrified at having to walk around with a group of girls bow and scraping every few inches.

"You're going to be with me all the time?" I squeaked. Hana's eyes widened.

"Oh, of course not Lady!" I relaxed slightly. "Your personal guard will be with us as well- Lady, are you quite alright?" she asked uncertainly, looking worried as I paled and staggered slightly. I tried to hitch a grin back onto my face, which probably scared her more, but at that moment the door was flung open.

"OH MY GOD!!" Hiroki smashed through the door, slamming shut behind him and holding it shut. He let out a moan then caught sight of me. "Kagome, they want to kill me!" Then he noticed the other six women staring at him. "Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck! They don't have swords, do they?" he asked, glaring at them suspiciously.

"Uh, no. Why-" Suddenly a blade sliced through the bedroom door that Hiroki was holding shut, stopping a few inches short of his face. He whimpered as I ran over to help him hold the door shut.

"What the hell did you do?" I shrieked in panic. He looked over at me, pushing sweaty hair out of his face.

"I don't even know," he whimpered. "I knocked on your door and nobody answered but I could hear you, so I came in to say that dinner was soon-" He was interrupted as the door shuddered violently and there was the acrid smell of burning paint. "Then as I was opening the door this group of women were walking up the hall, and as soon as they saw me they started lobbing fucking fireballs at my face! I didn't even say anything, so I ran in and locked the door! But then they broke it down… Why is everyone here fucking insane?" he demanded. A small cough came from behind us.

Hana was finally standing and she looked a little guilty. "It seems your personal guard have arrived, Lady Kagome." At that moment the door literally exploded, blowing Hiroki and me back a couple of feet. There was a shriek as Hiroki landed on Seiya. Clearing my eyes of the dust, I looked back at the door.

Standing in the opening were six ferocious looking demons, dressed in black and red armor, swords and throwing-stars drawn. The woman standing in the front of the group spotted Hiroki and immediately unleashed a downpour of small pebbles that exploded on contact.

"AMANE, STOP!" came Hana's shriek. The woman looked a little thrown at her unexpected appearance through the dust. Hiroki used the time to leap away from the group, running to hide behind me.

"HE'S TAKING HER MAJESTY HOSTAGE!!" screamed the trigger-happy demoness Amane, reaching for her pocket.

"GOD FUCKING DAMMIT, STOP!" I shrieked, and everyone froze, staring at me. I wiped the grime of my face with the sleeve of my dressing gown, glaring at the guard. "What the hell is going on?" I demanded.

"Please don't move Lady," called Amane, ignoring my question. "We will dispose of this suspicious character, please do not panic." I sighed, then gave Hiroki an elbow to the ribs for all the trouble he was causing.

"I think you just misunderstood," I told her as Hiroki dropped behind me, wheezing. "This is a good friend of mine. He's not dangerous to anyone, just himself." The group started at the two of us for a moment before dropping onto one knee.

"We apologize, Lady," said Amane hurriedly. "We believed he was sneaking into your rooms to do you harm." I snorted.

"Well, he's certainly not doing anything for my health. Hiroki, get out of here. I'll maul your ass later." Looking sheepish, he stood and scurried past the guard, disappearing.

"Amane…" came a quiet growl. I looked over at Hana, who was glaring at the kneeling woman, hands on her hips. Amane laughed nervously.

"Um, hi Hana! How are you?" she asked with a note of false cheerfulness in her voice. Hana, who I'd had down as quiet and shy, lost it.

"AMANE UMIKARI, WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING? THROWING DANGEROUS WEAPONS LIKE THAT, YOU COULD HAVE WOUNDED LADY KAGOME WITH YOUR FOOLISHNESS! AND LOOK AT THE ROOM!" I glanced around as well, taking in the shattered doorway and the smoking holes in the carpet where Hiroki had been. It really wasn't funny, but I couldn't help laughing as Hana ripped Amane a new one, promising her that Amane wasn't going anywhere until the room had been restored.

Still scowling, Hana, walked over to me and bowed. "I apologize for my Mate's stupidity," she said, ignoring Amane's indignant squawk. "You can rest assured that she will repair or replace everything she damaged." With a sigh, she turned to the rest of the maids. Girls, we are going to have to move this somewhere else. If you three," she said, gesturing at the white robed girls, "would stay and oversee the cleaning, Mizune, Hikari and I will be next door. We have to hurry if you're going to be on time."

Hikaeme pulled open the door wrapped in a bathrobe, her hair still dripping. I smiled sheepishly at her as she stared at my three dust-covered companions and me.

"Eh, would you mind if I used your bath?"

We barely pulled it off, to put it bluntly. After a hurried bath and being practically stuffed into my kimono, Hikaeme, my three maids and I met my guard outside in the hall. If we had been on time, we would have walked and I would have been told why about twelve odd people were following me. Had we been semi- prepared, we would have been able to pull of this little charade of royalty and her servants. If. Instead, half the castle saw their Lady dashing through the palace halls followed by her group with the discreetness of a herd of elephants as I screamed, "Shit, shit, fuckity fuck!"

When we reached the doors to the public part of the Hall, a surprised Sesshomaru met me. Sesshomaru was, like myself, being followed by his own private army. It would seem his afternoon had gone much more smoothly then mine, however. He was wearing a sliver yakama (?) with a large white inu on the back and his hair was pulled back into a high ponytail, the first time I'd seen him with it.

He lifted an eyebrow at me as I came to stand next to him.

"Don't even ask," I groused, taking his hand as Hana circled me, occasionally moving to fix something that had fallen out of place. I finally shook her off, and she joined the others, grinning. As the mass off demons around us began moving I turned to Sesshomaru. "I have a bone to pick with you. I'm not going to have to deal with this every day, am I?" I asked, gesturing at the girls behind me (who'd formed two lines of three behind me. I noticed that the same was happening behind Sesshomaru.) The guards formed a circle around us, alternating between Sesshomaru's and my guards.

"No, this is just ceremonial. I don't suppose you'd like to explain why your friend had to come ask where the infirmary was?" he asked quietly as I leaned against him, enjoying the temporary peace.

"Mmm, you supposed correctly," I said, stroking the edge of his silk sleeve. "So what exactly are we doing that requires a buffer of half the palace?" He sighed as I fought with Hana as she smoothed my hair from behind.

"We are holding a feast in our name, to celebrate my return and mating. But before that can begin…" He paused as the sound of distant footsteps reached us, and soon another group emerged around the corner, and leading it was Lady Tashio.

I whimpered.

Sesshomaru smirked. "I can see that you've already met my mother. Don't worry about her, she's just sore that she has to step down as Lady." I stared at him.

"I ousted your mother from her position, and you didn't think to mention it?" I hissed at him, my sandaled feet edging towards his. He gave me a sideways look as his mother walked over to stand on his other side, her servants and guard filing in behind and around her. She cast a disapproving look at us, eyeing our entwined hands, then moved up in front of us, her servants following so that she would enter first, followed by us.

"So all I have to do is look pretty and not spill anything, right?" I asked, thinking that maybe this wouldn't be so bad. But Sesshomaru gave a discouraging snort.

"I would think you'd know by now that nothing can be that simple here. No, we are going to go through a ceremony that will put us both in the royal family tree as Mates. Kagome, I cannot feel my hand."

I relinquished my death grip and shifted from foot to foot instead, not stilling until Sesshomaru put his hand on my lower back. At the same time, the thundering sound of a gong echoed on the other side of the door to the Hall. There was instant silence on the other side, and the doors swung open.

For a second, I was blinded. Candles and paper lamps supplied light to the entire hall. They glowed, dangling from the statures around the outside of the room and large white ones hung from the ceiling rafters. From the door to the dias was the only cleared space in the entire room, the rest had been filled with demons from Sesshomaru's Court. Guards lined the path to the center of the room, and I spotted the small, petite demon from earlier that Sesshomaru had called Captain Jibun near the end, clutching a long wooden case.

Lady Tashio started the line, strutting grandly down the aisle, followed by her servants until she reached the dais- here, the ladies in waiting scurried into the crowd, apparently relieved to be released for the day, and the guards joined those lined up. Sesshomaru gave me a small nudge and we followed her down, stopping just short of the platform, and Sesshomaru pulled me down with him so that we were both on our knees. I shifted, uncomfortable with the staring and complete silence.

Sesshomaru's mother was facing us, and began to speak as Captain Jibun passed her a sword from the case he was holding. I decided that there was definitely something wrong with me if I was surprised to see a normal sword. Unlike any of the ones Sesshomaru possessed, this one had no special properties, and was obviously for decoration since the jade handle, and silver plated blade were very impractical.

"The Court had been called," she started, "to witness the official Mating of Lord Sesshomaru Kaze Tashio to Lady Kagome Higurashi. May they find complete happiness within each other. Rise, so that the ceremony may begin." I was hauled back up to my feet as Lady Tashio stepped back off the dais to make way for a small, crinkly old demon carrying a large book under his arm. When he reached us, he flipped it open and began to read.

It turned out, we didn't even have to repeat anything. After the first few pages, I sank into a bit of a stupor, instead opting to glance around the room at the other demons.

The most noticeable thing about all of them was how inhumanly beautiful they all were. Not nearly as much as Sesshomaru, but more so than a normal human. Most of them had blank expressions, and I suspected a few of them were only there in body. One demoness was shifting anxiously on the other side of the platform as her amused Mate glanced at her from out of the corner of his eye. Another demon caught my eye near to Sesshomaru. He was one of the larger ones, with bulging, wiry muscles and half his head shaved of its long red hair. There was a small symbol on his forehead, but he was too far for me to make it out. He caught my eye and grinned. I looked away quickly, blushing, and focused on the old demon in front of me.

I suppose I tuned in just in time, too. At that moment, he closed the book with a snap, which echoed through the hall. More than a few people jumped as they were dragged back into consciousness.

"Your hands, please," he wheezed, holding out both of his own. Sesshomaru put his right hand in one, and I put my left in the other. The shriveled demon used the claws on his thumbs to make small cuts on our palms, then released us and bowed himself off the platform. Sesshomaru and I walked up onto the platform so that we were now a few feet off the floor, and I was able to appreciate how many people were in the Hall.

I met Sesshomaru's eyes, and was slightly surprised at the warmth in them. Despite the surroundings, I felt myself relax, and a slow smile form on my lips. Sesshomaru smiled as well, then leaned forward and kissed me, long and soft. I suddenly felt the mark on my neck burn, but I ignored it as Sesshomaru pressed out bleeding palms together.

**BOOM!**

A sudden explosion nearly knocked me off my feet. I looked around, back up the aisle, and saw the once solemn guards pulling large crackers that shot streamers and shaped confetti into the air over the guests, who were now clapping and cheering, no longer the funeral mourners they'd once been. I turned back to Sesshomaru who was grinning in earnest now at my reaction.

Reaching over to brush confetti off my face and out of my hair, Sesshomaru wrapped an arm around my waist and guided me down the steps from the dais and through the crowd. A few demons soon joined us, forming a small circle in the throng.

One of them was the large demon I'd seen during the vows earlier. He thumped Sesshomaru on the back and said something that made Sesshomaru frown at him, though his lip twitched. Hikaeme and Hiroki had also joined us, Hikaeme smiling and looking teary as Hiroki grinned like a loon. Soon Chikyo also made himself known, appearing next to Hikaeme and making her squeak in surprise. Then Captain Jibun, who was about my height, glided over and smiled warmly at us as he brushed his wild, vibrantly white hair away from his face.

"So!" roared the large demon, reaching past Sesshomaru and simply lifting a tray of sake glasses out of the server's hands, "Sesshomaru is finally Mated!" He held out the tray and everyone, myself included, reached out and took a small shot glass. The demon and, to my surprise, Hikaeme downed the whole glass in one go. I caught Chikyo giving Hikaeme a strange, misty-eyed look and giggled, taking a small sip of my own and choking on the bitter taste.

"Really, Gozen, how do you expect to remain vertical if you keep drinking like that?" asked Sesshomaru calmly, rubbing my back as I spluttered. "I'm not talking you out like I did last time. I would expect that the Southern Lord still has a price on your head."

Gozen snorted, running a hand through his auburn hair. "Nah, it wasn't _that _expensive." This time Jibun laughed, the sound rising over Chikyo's 'che!'

"Gozen, it was the entire eastern wing of the palace. I'm pretty sure that the taxpayers would still be after you, even if the Lord isn't."

"Which he is," added Chikyo, shaking his head. "You don't just forget about the man who collapse half his palace because he wanted to see who could knock down more walls."

"The more I think about it, the more resolute I become when I say no more alcohol, Gozen," said Sesshomaru, lifting the glass from his friend's hand and placing it on a passing tray.

"Aww, Sesshy, don't be such a party pooper! I'm not going to the marital bed tonight, so I don't see why I have to stay upright…" He stopped when Jibun caught him with a blow to the back of the head, rolling his eyes at me.

"He's usually not this bad- the ceremony nearly killed him, having to stay that still and proper for more than ten minutes." Gozen stuck his tongue out at the Captain's back.

"So Kagome," asked Hikaeme, turning towards me, "You never told me why you needed to move from your rooms to mine to shower." Everyone except Hiroki turned to stare at me.

"Nor have you said," continued Sesshomaru, "Why Hiroki needed medical attention after visiting you." Now the gazes shifted to Hiroki.

"I have stuff to do… OVER THERE!" Hiroki dashed off towards the other side of the Hall, disappearing in the crowd.

"_Come back here, you son of a_-" I stopped as Gozen started chuckling and Sesshomaru scratched gently at my back.

"So tell us the story, Lady Kagome," said Chikyo, his eyes glimmering with mirth at my embarrassment.

"Eh, well, Hiroki got off on a bit of the wrong foot with my guard…" At this, Jibun suddenly lost it, collapsing in a fit of laughter as Gozen propped him up, both he and Chikyo sharing a grin as Sesshomaru snorted.

"So, whaddit he do to piss Amane off this time?" ask Chikyo gleefully, ears perked in eagerness. I eyed their gleefully faces nervously as I continued.

"Apparently she thought he was breaking into my rooms and taking me hostage." Jibun's laughter was renewed as Sesshomaru groaned.

"Last time the repairs took almost two months. Jibun, you were supposed to train her in self-control as well as the martial arts," he said, looking pained. Jibun shrugged, finally able to support himself.

"I did try- but you saw the state of Chen-sama when I sent her up to the mountains to meditate with him. I think she made him doubt his religion by the time she left. Oh, Chen-sama was the demon who read the vows," Jibun added to me. I wrinkled my nose at the thought of having to spend any extended amount of time with the old, droning demon, and Jibun shrugged in response.

"I had hoped that she would be mellowed by spending so long with him in a secluded mountain range. He sent her back after three months saying that he had a lot to think over in his spiritual life."

Later that night, or probably early morning by that time, Sesshomaru and I finally made our way back up to our rooms. I was too tired to notice Sesshomaru's and my servants following us at a discreet distance, chatting happily to each other.

The celebration had continued in an unexpectedly informal fashion as demons and demonesses milled around the Hall, coming to give us their respects then moving to join their friends. Then Sesshomaru, giving me an evil smiled, clapped his hands and suddenly a group of uniformed guards swarmed around me.

I looked around at them and was suddenly scooped up into a chair lifted by the guards. It was actually a wooden throne to match Sesshomaru's, and the crowed screamed and clapped as I was carried and set down next to Sesshomaru's chair, where he waited calmly for me.

After some swearing, we both settled down as the as the main doors were pulled open and costumed performers swarmed through the doors amidst loud cheers, making small explosions and special effects as they pranced to the front of the room and bowed to Sesshomaru and me before beginning their superb routines.

Afterwards, Sesshomaru had stood and I followed suit. Another gong sounded and everyone stilled to sink into a deep bow as we left, followed by Captain Jibun. I caught Gozen winking at me as we passed before the doors shut behind us.

When we finally reached the door to our apartments, Sesshomaru turned to Jibun, who'd come up behind us.

"Sesshomaru, I'll come meet you two around ten and we'll go to the library. The Northern Lord Kouga will be there as well as a few of the other nobles. And Gozen because I couldn't think of a reason why he wasn't allowed," he admitted with a sigh. "Anyways, Sesshomaru, Lady Kagome." With a bow, he vanished.

"Well, now that-" Sesshomaru stopped dead as he opened the door and looked in. Maids and guards were scurrying every which was as they repair the gaping holes in the sitting room walls and replacing patches of carpet. He turned back to me, eye twitching.

"What was it you said happened?" I shifted for a moment at thoughts of who Sesshomaru would maim before letting out a 'humpf!'.

"I sneezed."

**Woo! The end of another chapter! Okay guys, I'm so relieved to finally get out of my funk for this story and get going again! Yay! But first, I looked back at my other chappies and wanted to do two quick polls for you guys to add to reviews:**

**Reading this past chapter, do you think it would be a good idea for me to go back through earlier chapters and do a sort of cleanup? Ya know, refine the story more and combine some of the chappies?**

**Would it help you guys if I put a character list onto my author page? I know that it really pisses me off when I can't remember who ppl are, and there are a lot of OCs in this story, so…**

**Pls, add ur answers to reviews and let me know what you thought of this chappie!**

**Ciao luvs!**

**Ps………. Does any1 know what happens to reviews when u replace or remove a chappie?**


	19. A Compact is Made: Enter North and South

**Well, whadya know, another late update with another GIGANTICALLY MASSIVELY HUGE apology for my crappy internal writing schedule! You are so wonderful, and (are you ready?) we have reached…**

**The 100 REVIEW MARK!!!!!!!!!! WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! (sniff sniff) I'm getting a little emotional over it. Now to belatedly celebrate with a belated chappie!**

_blah blah blah: notes from the editor _

(a/n: blah blah blah): notes from the author

**A Compact is Made: Enter The North and South**

**Kagome's P.O.V.**

"If you were the only demon left on the face of Japan, surrounded by humans, what would you do? A. Go underground and pretend to be human, B. Take over and make yourself ruler, or C. Go shopping for a new outfit?"

Hiroki was staring back at me completely unsure of what to make from the questions. I had managed to dig out an old American magazine from the sad remains of my loyal yellow backpack and was somewhat altering the questions from the personality quizzes to suit Hiroki who was silently pondering his answer while perched on the mantle of my newly repaired fireplace.

Hana was still supervising the cleaning crew and her Mate Amane during the repairs to Sesshomaru's and my rooms that had been damaged in the earlier crossfire. I had been evacuated from my bedroom when one of the ceiling rafters had caved, so Hiroki was keeping me entertained, even letting me try out a new hairstyle on him from the magazine, though by the time I was finished his hair looked like an "Angry Swarm" instead of the "Honeyed Catacomb".

"I'm not too sure that I like any of the options- letter B does sound appealing though," Hiroki finally commented thoughtfully, absently avoiding Amane's broom head as she swiped him off the mantle so that she could repair the plaster. Instead he came and sat on the wing of my armchair, reading over my shoulder. "What the hell…!?!" he began, but I snapped the magazine closed and gave his long hair a yank, flipping him off the hair and onto his butt on the floor before he could read the extended and explicit article on breast exams. Perv.

I sighed, glancing at my waterlogged watch, which I had strapped on once Hana had given me the all-clear for any more formal appearances tonight and let me changed into some jeans. Sesshoumaru was supposed to be calling me down for the meeting soon- Captain Jibun had told me that I was attending as Sesshoumaru's Mate and the Shikon Miko, though it had been a while since I'd been in possession of any shards.

Apparently, Sesshoumaru was also in some deep shit as the General. He'd told me with an annoyed smirk that it was supposedly frowned upon to abandon the City for long periods of time leaving utter chaos in his absence. So he was now extremely overdue for a counseling session.

I leapt to my feet as the doors were pushed open and Captain Jibun appeared, looking extremely irritable, making me freeze in my steps. His eyes were a twist of red and silver, and his fangs were elongated. He did make an effort to smile reassuringly at me, though it looked more like a grimace.

"Sesshoumaru sent me to come get you Kagome- he said I needed to take a bit of a breather. Stupid, self-absorbed bastards," he added under his breath, turning and leading me back down the large hallway and through a black wood door that led to Sesshoumaru's private study. A servant pushed open a door, and it was like a sound vacuum had been torn.

The study itself was large, with a carved table in the middle surrounded by chairs in front of a massive window that looked over the whole city. My spine tingled, and I could see a faint shimmer over the opening that ensured no sound would leave the room to possible eavesdroppers. At the head of the table was a chair taller than the others, with Sesshoumaru's crest carved intricately into the woodworking of the back. The seat however was empty.

The table, on the other hand, was overflowing. There was an exotic variety of demons seated around it, and all of them were arguing. Gozen was shouting at a tall man with a sharp face and long black beard. Judging by the subject of their argument ("Our economy has still not recovered from the cost of the palace's repairs!") I assumed this was the Southern Lord whose eastern wing had been destroyed. Chikyo was seated further down the table, expression terrifying as he fought with another familiar face.

_Kouga_ was opposite the cat demon, eyes narrowed and hackles raised. He was still dressed in his usual furs, but the revealed skin was blazing with painted designs, a few of which I recognized from the decorations in my bedroom, which I'd been told symbolized royalty. He was snarling a reply to something at Chikyo, whose nails scored the table in anger.

A sudden cough interrupted their debates, and it came from behind us. Everyone turned to look at Sesshoumaru, who had been lurking in the shadows, quietly observing. Now that everyone was present, he seemed ready to actually begin. Captain Jibun bowed and took his seat across from Gozen, sitting conspicuously in the seat between the Southern Lord and the large demon.

Sesshoumaru took my hand and led me over to the raised desk, where there was an empty chair next to it. I sat nervously down, relieved to see that it was Gozen on my other side. Sesshoumaru took his place at the head of the table and gestured to Captain Jibun, who was across from me. He stood, swords clanking, and addressed the rest of the demons calmly.

"The Western Lands extend a welcome to the Northern and Southern Lords and thank them for their attendance. This meeting has been called to discuss the issues, or issue, that is common among all three lands: the hanyou calling himself Naraku." A growl went around the table at the name, and I saw Kouga looking murderous. "The Western Lord has declared him a threat and will therefore be moving against him. The Lord has also returned home with another valuable asset to our cause." To my complete surprise he motioned to me, telling me with his eyes to stand. I did so, trying to look collected as the demons studied me appraisingly. Kouga looked like he'd just choked on air.

"This is Lady Kagome, the Lord's Mate and the Shikon Miko," continued Jibun calmly, gesturing for me to sit. An interested murmur went around the table at this unexpected news. Chikyo was looking extremely satisfied at Kouga's obvious shock and discomfort. "I yield to Chikyo-san, who has been watching our furthermost border near the cross point **(1)**." Jibun sat back down, face blank as ever, and Chikyo stood, ears erect and intimidating in his feminine beauty.

"My squad has reported numerous village decimations from this Naraku, who has been gathering weaker demons as followers. They have-"

"If he only has command of weaker demons, what are we all so panicked about?" demanded the Southern Lord. Someone had finally broken the precarious hush, which lead more demons to comment as well.

"It's only a hanyou, he can't be that difficult to dispose of-"

"This is a waste of diplomatic time. I have not traveled this far to discuss such pointless-"

"I have better things to worry about than the Western Lord's incompetence-"

That did it. A throaty snarl erupted from Sesshoumaru, and the contradictions died at once. His fangs were bared, and there was venom dripping from them as he stood. Jibun shifted his hand just in time to keep the acid from eating through one of his fingers.

"This Naraku under any other circumstances would be a mere thorn in our side, but he had gained help. He is not just gathering weaker demons, he is using them to create himself numerous bodies to ensure an extended life, he has the power to control the minds of others, and he had gained all this from the use of the Shikon no Tama," he said. Everyone froze, and I could see the blood leaving the Southern Lord's face.

Kouga stood as well, his face strained.

"If I may speak," he asked, grudgingly waiting for Sesshoumaru's nod before continuing. "The damn half-breed murdered half my pack in cold blood, then used their bodies as undead warriors against the survivors. The bastard has a sick mind and he takes pleasure in toying with people, pitting them against each other. He's too dangerously clever to be allowed left wandering." Kouga sat back down again, his sharpened nails digging into the tabletop.

If anything, this caused the assembly to be frenzied out of control even further. The Southern Lord, who I was quickly beginning to dislike, stood as well and pointed at me as he looked down his nose from across the table.

"It seems to me that this hanyou has gained his abilities from the very jewel this… woman was supposed to be guarding. I fail to see what can be accomplished if the priestess who the Shikon will be returned to is apparently unable to guard it from a mere _half-demon _and allowed the jewel to_ shatter_," he said, sniffing arrogantly.

I saw Gozen's fingers flex as if to wrap them around the Southern Lord's neck, and a flare around my Mark told me that Sesshoumaru was contemplating the same. I was furious myself, and I could feel a heavy blush rising to my face, but I stood once again anyways. It was tempting to make excuses, to blame Kikyou for losing it in the first place, but I simply said,

"Naraku is not completely dependent on the Shikon for his power, and it is foolish to think otherwise. I have retrieved most of the jewels shards, but Naraku has not been weakened whatsoever. If anything, he is stronger due to the amount of infrequent times that he has any shards. Of course, I firmly believe that the jewel should be protected at all costs, so if you happen to know anyone, great Lord, who has the abilities I do, please point me towards them."

The Southern Lord shut up and sat down. I followed suit, settling back into my seat. Gozen flashed me a wink before he did so as well.

Chikyo waited for everyone to return to their seats while he debated something, but eventually continued, carefully watching Sesshoumaru for a reaction. "My sources have also stated that Naraku has been seeking to contact another group. A demon named Shentosha, the leader of a slave trading band. This Shentosha has more than a few renegade demons from different Lands following him, and we believe he has been joined by another hanyou- Inuyasha."

For a moment there was dead silence. I could hear the blood pounding unevenly in my ears, could feel my mouth drop, my hands spasm. There had to be something wrong with Chikyo's sources, because it was impossible. Inuyasha, joining with one of these men, possibly even Naraku? Time would loop back on itself before that could even be conceived. Inuyasha hated Naraku, what could possible make him join that bastard?

But even as I asked myself, a pit of cold, unforgiving dread had settled in my stomach. Naraku had the Shikon, giving him unlimited power… maybe even the power to restore life?

To restore Kikyou's life?

Sesshoumaru's expression didn't flicker, though his eyes looked darker and more malicious. Everyone at the table had turned to look at him, unsure of how to react.

"While we have no indication that they have joined forces, we must be prepared in case they decide to combine. As of now, however, Shentosha and Inuyasha have not been contacted by Naraku," Chikyo added as a late attempted at softening the blow. It did not seem to sooth anyone.

"I am reinstating the Army," Sesshoumaru said, an edge to his voice. More than a few people shot to their feet at this. The Southern Lord was screaming about how this was an infringement of some treaty while Gozen let out a whoop and reached across the table to grab Jibun's shoulder, grinning like a loon. Chikyo looked thoughtful, stroking his whiskers and Kouga nodded to himself, as though he'd thought it would come to this.

"I will begin assembling my troops this week. Anyone who is not going to contribute may pack their bags. Those who are staying, we will reconvene tomorrow," concluded Sesshoumaru, ignoring all of them and turning. I stood as well and followed him out of the study. We were both silent until we reach our private sitting room, where many maids were still working.

"Out," Sesshoumaru growled quietly, and suddenly everyone vanished, using their demonic speed to disappear as quickly and quietly as possible. He glided over to a large, overstuffed floor cushion and dropped onto it before gathering me onto his lap. Captain Jibun, Gozen, and Chikyo, all who were looking tense, soon joined us. Chikyo leaned against the wall as Jibun and Gozen joined Sesshoumaru on the floor.

"It's been a long time since the Western Army was gathered Sesshoumaru," Jibun started quietly. "I'm not sure the men are ready for that kind of training… after all, the scouting season has only just ended. They haven't had enough time-"

"We don't have any time," Gozen cut in. "They may be newbs, but they'd have to toughen up at some point. When can we start training them? The underlings have a long way to go," he continued, and Jibun nodded.

"The barracks can be assembled tomorrow at dawn. Only give them the bare bones of it, a panic attack is the last thing the City needs right now. Send out Court letters to Isamu and Michio, we're going to need everyone in this. Jibun, Gozen, Chikyo, I'll leave the matters of basic training to you. There's a lot to be put into place before any specialized education can begin. Dismissed," Sesshoumaru sighed. The three nodded, Gozen grinned at me, and they all left.

"Who's Isamu and Michio?" I asked, my throat dry from staying silent for so long.

"They're the other high-ranking demons within the Army. I'm the head of it, Jibun is second in command, then Chikyo, Gozen, Isamu, an elemental demon, and Michio, a winged demon with some very _interesting_ bloodlines," he said glancing at me.

"Interesting how?" I said, stretching and leaning back against his chest, my heard spinning in an effort to keep up with everything that was going on.

"Well… for one thing she is resistant to purifying powers." _That_ made me sit up. A demon who couldn't be purified? I'd never heard of something like that.

"How on earth does she manage that? A charm?" I asked, going through Kaede's lessons in my head and trying to think if she'd ever mentioned anything that could resist purification.

"I did an quiet extensive search on her lineage, and Myoga tells me that she is most likely a diluted descendant of one of the now extinct race of shapeshifters," Sesshoumaru said, eyebrow raised. "She can't be purified because his blood is already pure. I think you'll like her, she's quite… unique. You two will get along wonderfully." Sesshoumaru 'hnn'ed as I resettled myself on his lap.

"Why is everyone is such a dither over your calling the Army? You're the General, why's it such a big deal?" Sesshoumaru let out another sigh and scratched delicately at his chin.

"The Army hasn't been gathered since my father fought the war with China many centuries ago. After his death, there was never a need to call the Army again, and many of its troops began to wander from the city, claim their own territories, start families. Of course, the backbone of our troops stay nearby."

"What is it that makes you see Naraku as such a threat? I know he has the shards but… I've seen you almost defeat him on your own. Surely you don't need so much excessive force on him? Why drag everyone from all over just to squish him?"

"Jibun has his own apartments in the Guest Hall, Gozen stays in the barracks near the men, and Chikyo's village was moved closer to the City when he was appointed. Isamu won't be here until the day after tomorrow, he's still trying to repair the damage with Eastern Lord over his cooperation with boundary lines, and Michio last I heard was up in the mountains, trying to find another of her bloodline. But they'll be need to train the new troops," he replied, neatly avoiding the question. I decided to ignore it for now.

"Well then what the hell was Kouga doing here?" I asked, shaking my head. Sesshoumaru looked as surprised as Sesshoumaru could. His eyebrow lifted at me again.

"You are on given name terms with the Northern Lord?" he asked. "Don't tell me he and Inuyasha were on good terms?" he snorted, sounding skeptical. I could keep from grinning at the memories of encounters between those two bone heads.

"Hardly, they hated each other. Couldn't talk for more than a minute before it turned into a pissing contest," I laughed fondly, shaking my head. "So he's the Northern Lord, huh? You'd never guess by just looking at him." I stood up, stretched my back and waited for him to flow smoothly to his feet before sticking my head through our bedroom door. The maids, or more likely Amane, had done a commendable job repairing the gaping holes in the walls, and the bed had been repaired and was decorated with silver and green silk sheets that glimmered in the moonlight pouring through the floor-length windows.

While I struggled to remove my kimono, Sesshoumaru stripped silently and waited patiently from under the covers for me to wrench free of the stiff fabric. When I finally joined him, he immediately rolled on top of me, ignoring my gasp as the wind was knocked out of me. Instead he buried his face in my neck, scraped me gently with his teeth, and fell asleep almost instantly.

I was only conscious long enough to appreciate the glowing moonlight dance across his silver hair.

That night, I dreamed.

_It was cold. Too cold for my clothes, which I recognized as my long discarded school uniform, the fabric scratchy and uncomfortable against my ice cold skin. Looking around, all I could see for miles around were trees, cut down into stumps. I was standing on the largest one, so big it could have been used as a stage or house foundation. The air was thick with fog, and I only got glimpses of the distances ahead through the weak spots._

_Fascinated, I bent down and ran my hand over the wood, which was so smooth it felt like silk against my fingers. And suddenly the wood responded, pulsing weakly before dying away again. My hands stilled as I found familiarity in that pulse- the same pulse I'd found from Goshinkibu when I'd pulled the arrow from InuYasha's chest. _

_Oh no…_

_Leaping to my feet, I turned and ran down the path I could find easily, even when the landscape was so unfamiliar. And almost fell into the well. The wooden walls that marked it had been charred to cinders, ground into the dirt around my feet. The well itself looked the same as always, but felt… different. It felt dead, and I knew that whatever portal I had always been allowed to travel on had been closed. _

_Sesshoumaru- I had to find Sesshoumaru, he would have a plan. He always did. I turned away from the well and dashed down the hill towards where the village would have been, moving so quickly that a slip would send me careening the rest of the way down, but I didn't slow until I found the familiar structure marking the shrine. _

_Using my aura, I expanded it slightly until it pushed against another. It was inside the shrine, waiting for me. Feeling panicked, I ran past the markers that showed where holy ground began. The second I passed them something felt wrong. The aura had disappeared._

"_Kagome!" Sesshoumaru was just outside the markers, fang bared, swords drawn. He seemed to be assessing the situation, obviously aware of the barrier separating us. The aura suddenly rematerialized just inside the barriers, and Sesshoumaru bristled immediately, eyes beginning to bleed red. _

_The aura had materialized, and I recognized it, and realized the reason it left such a bad taste in my mouth. Shentosha was staring back at me, a malicious grin spread over his face. I shrieked softly and quickly cast around for some kind, any kind of weapon. There was nothing._

_Sesshoumaru knew it, and as Shentosha shot towards me so did he. I screamed, feeling my very soul shredding as he hit the barrier and was thrown back. Shentosha paused to look over his should, only feet from me, and laughed long and loud, finding a sick enjoyment in the scene. _

_I jumped him, trying to get some kind of advantage, maybe swipe a sword, or gouge an eye out. But he was too fast, knocking me back with his sword which caught me through the shoulder. I dropped immediately, and Sesshoumaru let out a frustrated howl, running again and again at the barrier and being thrown back. He was killing himself… _

_Then it was gone. Everything was black, and I was falling… _

The next morning was just as hectic, if not more so, than the night before. I was woken by Sesshoumaru's furious roar as he was jolted out of sleep by another male's scent, which turned out to be Jibun coming to collect him for the dawn training session. Once the maids had seen me awake, Hana and co. all came flurrying in after the Captain, shortly followed by Sesshoumaru's footmen. Since it was quite obvious I wasn't going to be getting any more sleep, I let myself be dragged out of bed by the two twins Mizune and Hikari, who promptly dumped my ass in the bath.

As I was scrubbed down until my skin was raw, I shouted over to Sesshoumaru, who was waiting his turn for the bath and was having a murmured conversation with Jibun.

"Am I going to have to wear a kimono again? I almost fell on my face more times than I can count yesterday, and half of it I wasn't even on my feet!" I called, wincing as soap ran into my eye.

"No, dress is casual today since we're heading for the barracks-" Sesshoumaru cut off suddenly, and I peered over at him with my one good eye to see him watching me considering. "Hana, come here."

Hana pranced over to him and listened as he dictated instructions to her. I was too far away to hear, and one of the twins chose that moment to dump a bucket of clean water over my head. By the time I had cleared my vision of my sopping hair, Hana had returned, and was speaking to me.

"I have errands to run for the Lord, Kagome-san (at least she had dropped the 'Lady'), but I will be back in time for you to meet Lord Sesshoumaru out on the training fields. He also bade me to remind you that he believes you were supposed to meet with someone last night."

I sat for a minute trying to figure out what she was talking about before I remembered that last time I'd been bathing and Lady Tashio had unexpectedly arrived.

"_We are then expected in the Hall for the evening meal and then a meeting with Sesshoumaru's councilors. Afterwards, I wish to speak with you at greater length in my apartments."_

Oh shhhhiiiiiiiiiittttt!!!!

"SESSHOMARU!" I shrieked, suddenly sick with fear. I was going to be mauled by his mother and he was just going to walk away? I started to leap to my feet, but was just in time to see a swish of silver hair as he departed. Shit shit sonuva bitch!!! "Ohhh noooooooo," I moaned, dropping my face into my hands. "The Kami hate me…"

Hana seemed to be snickering as she followed after Sesshoumaru, a large basket in her hand. One of the others quickly filled her place, pulling me out of the tub and hustling me over to the wardrobe. After wrapping myself in a towel, I let them argue amongst themselves over kimonos and snuck into the sitting room to dig through my backpack. When I'd found a pair of jeans and a tank top, I scurried back into the bedroom and changed. The maids were still bickering when I snuck out the main doors.

Shutting the sitting room doors quietly, I turned and had to stifle a scream as I walked right into the person who'd just been about to knock: Kouga.

He looked just as surprised as I felt and his face immediately turned red. He opened his mouth to speak, but I pressed my hand to his mouth and shook my head fervently. He lifted an eyebrow, which made me scowl at how much it reminded me of Sesshoumaru- he was so dead- but instead of talking I grabbed Kouga's arm and towed him down the hallway and out of the private section of the Hall.

Releasing him from my grasp, I put my finger to my lips and guided him down one of the public halls, dodging from pillar to pillar until we reached a small side door that led outside. I went out that and emerged in a garden that had been carefully kept to appeal to the gentry.

"Kouga, what on earth are you doing here?" I asked in a whisper, glancing around for any other people with that cursed gift of demonic hearing. "Do you have any idea how many people would willing cremate you alive if they found you wandering in the back part of the Hall?" Kouga snorted in response, looking irritated and pout-y.

"Well sooooorrry Kagome, I didn't know I need a pass to come and see a friend," he sniffed, crossing his arms and looking away in a move that was so immaturely Kouga that I had to smile. I wrapped my arms around his neck in a tight hug that he enthusiastically returned, grinning back.

"Sorry- I was in the middle of escaping my babysitters/maids when you came. How've you been?" I asked, holding him in front of me by the shoulders and looking him over. His body was still covered in the exotic paint that he'd been wearing last night, but there were smaller things that were different from what I remembered. His face had matured somewhat, though his eyes were still a brilliant blue, and he was much taller than me now, almost as tall as Sesshoumaru.

"Pretty good, all things considered," he answered, looking me over as well. "I've been pretty bored since I last saw you and… the rest of the group." He quickly edited and then paused awkwardly. For a moment we stood in silence, then his speech returned with a vengeance. "You and SESSHOMARU?" he hissed indignantly. I stopped fingering the edge of my shirt and fixed my glare on him.

"Yes. Do you have something you want to contribute to the subject?" I asked him, trying to keep my voice smooth and dangerous in an imitation of Sesshoumaru, but it was shaking angrily.

"You bet your ass I do! I mean damn Kagome, first mutt-face, now his brother! I mean, I know I don't have the bloodline, but if you're into the royalty and riches, I could've just-" I had him in the dirt before he could finished his sentence, my hand gripping his throat.

"_Are you accusing me of Mating with Sesshoumaru because he's ROYALTY_?" I half shrieked, flexing my fingers around his windpipe and wishing that I had the claws to tear it out. He gagged for a moment before gripping my wrist to free himself.

"NO! That's- that's not what I meant!" he squeaked, quailing under my gaze. "I just, well, I mean… um, you're looking good." I rolled my eyes, and he seemed relieved that he'd escaped.

"Nice cover. Very subtle."

At that moment the infamous Amane chose to make her appearance. The door to the garden was slammed open, and my Guard poured out, led by their psychotic chief with cries of "STAND AWAY FROM THE LADY, VILLINOUS… VILLAN!!!" Kouga was dragged away and given a few good pokes with a variety of swords and spears before Hana flash-stepped into view. Her face was sweaty, but it was anger that made her face red.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?" Amane immediately perked up, like a fox in the grass. She smiled at Hana and waved Kouga at her, who she had by the back of his jacket.

"We have the intruder! I told you that it was a good idea to set those alarms in the palace, and-" Hana interrupted.

"If you want to keep your hands," she said very slowly and quietly, "you will put the Northern Lord down this instant." I looked over at Kouga and saw that Hana was right- Kouga looked more than ready to start gnawing limbs off. Amane, for her part, looked absolutely horrified and immediately dropped Kouga on his ass. The rest of the Guard cringed away, and I had enough room to get to Kouga and pull him to his feet. He seemed to have trouble believing that he had just been tackled by a group of demonesses.

Hana had dragged Amane down with her to their knees, and the rest of the Guard followed suit. "We beg your forgiveness great Lord!" they chanted. Amane said it with a drone that hinted that it was a well used phrase. Kouga simply gaped at them until I gave him an elbow.

"Um… no big deal?" he said uncertainly. Hana didn't give him a chance to allow the situation to sink in. Leaping to her feet, she quickly herded the Guard and her Mate back through the door as she bowed.

"We are humbled by your goodness, great Lord," she chanted, shoving Amane back inside. "Thank you for your kindness!" With that, she shut the door firmly behind her. Even with a three foot thick wall of stone between us, I could still hear Hana shouting. And that was without demonic hearing.

Kouga and I looked at each other. I grinned.

"Welcome to the West."

-----------------------------------------(bar line thing)-------------------------------------

Kouga left me at the entrance to the back of the hall, making the excuse of not wanting to run into Sesshoumaru if he was caught. I made my way back to my room, only getting lost twice since I was dodging from furniture piece to corners, to columns in order to make sure I wouldn't accidently run into Lady Taisho- she was probably the root of all the mother in-law jokes in the future.

By the time I made it back to Sesshoumaru's and my apartments, Hana was already waiting.

"My Lady-" she began, but I stopped her.

"First, it's Kagome. Second, it's not a big deal." She looked skeptical. "Really, Kouga didn't care at all. Besides, I think it did him good to get his butt kicked- keeps the hot air from gathering in his head." Hana's lips twitched and I took it as a good sign. "So did you take care of all your shopping then?"

"Oh yes, that's right. The Lord sent me to buy you this for this afternoon."

"What's happening this afternoon?" I asked as she pulled a heap of black and silver fabric from my wardrobe. She shook it out, and I saw that it was a fighting kimono.

A pair of form-fitting pants was handed to me, and once on, I saw that they had bands around them to hold small knives and such along my inner thigh and calves. After that, Hana pulled off my tank top and helped me pull on the shirt. It was long like an overcoat, reaching all the way to my ankles, but it was tied tight to my body. The sleeves however were extremely long and flowing, giving me much more movement than I had come to expect from feudal era clothing.

Once I had been wrapped up in the new outfit and Hana had tied my hair tightly to my head, she told me to follow her.

"The Lord has requested your presence while the troop train today. If the Army is being recalled, then all the men need to be in top form. The problem is, recruiting just ended last moon- they have a long way to go," Hana sighed, shaking her head as we left the private part of the Hall.

People were staring at us- or staring at me. I must've looked absolutely ridiculous. The sleeves were difficult to coordinate with, and I kept tripping over them.

"So why am I going?" I questioned, trying not to feel self-conscious. "Moral support?" Hana chuckled and gave me a look that conveyed a great deal of pity.

"If he's asked that you wear that, then I'm afraid you're in for quite a beating, Kagome-san." I gaped at her.  
"What???"

"It's mostly likely that he's decided to train you."


	20. AUTHORS NOTE

PLEASE READ!!!

Alright everyone, I have looked back at my old chappies 1-3, and I must say that you are all the most loyal readers EVER. Those chappies made me cringe as I read them, and I realized that Sesshoumaru was so OCC that it was creepy. So- I have redone those first three chappies and have uploaded them to this website:

www. MTPfanfiction .blogspot .com

So I want you to read them and tell me what you think- if you like it, I will continue editing the rest of the chapters slightly to fit the adjusted plot and hopefully make the story a bit more streamlined than it is now. Thnx loves, you're the best!

Ciao


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